1961 Magazine Fall 2016 | Page 52

HISTORY & TRAVEL
and retreated completely leaving it in Penn ’ s control . Upon learning the details of what transpired Muskerry selected 10 of the responsible men and had them courtmartialed and the following day they were executed as a firm example to all .
Both sides still firmly believed the other was well suited to continue the siege , but reality was quite different for both sides . Rations were slight if they came at all and eventually moral began to run low on both sides . On June 12th Penn was forced to relocate his horses from the castle to Feenish Island where the cattle were being kept due to the fact that he couldn ’ t feed them . At the same time Penn was able to bring in around 100 urgently need relief soldiers into Bunratty .
The days crawled by with both sides engaging in bloody and sporadic skirmishes . On the 17th of June all alarms were raised at Bunratty when the whole of the Confederate army had come to arms against the castle . Miraculously Penn and McAdams forces managed to hold the castle . This truly must have been a terrifying experience for the women and children trapped inside the castle .
During the following days Penn made two decisions which ultimately further complicated the situation . First : Expecting a confederate attack on Quay Island at low tide . Accordingly Penn sent his only available troops ( 64 men ) to defend it . Second : he decided to sail one of his ships to Skattery for repairs and supplies . Accounts state that roars from cannons were unremitting that day as both sides exchanged blows with all they had . The Confederate forces struggled to gain control of Penn and his experienced troops . The castle itself was well designed to ward off invaders which aided Penn in holding out for so long .
Around this time the confederate camp managed a joyous uplifting by way of a surprise visitor on the 1st of July . This began a series of events that would dictate the outcome of the siege itself . Rinuccini had made his way into the confederate camp with 600 Pounds money to help fund the Confederate ’ s campaign . The money itself wasn ’ t colossal , compared to the cost of such an operation ; however his deed managed to lift the spirits of the whole camp . It ‘ s believed that
Rinuccini spent around two weeks at the Confederate camp living with the soldiers in the make-shift caves , conversing with them and boosting their spirits overall .
At the same time Penn was attending a council of war on one of his ships , leaving McAdam to the land tactics . As a Navy officer Penn had little desire to involve himself with the land operations and often left those matters to McAdam solely . He would leave to the safety of his ships to deal with other pertinent matters and return afterwards for an update from McAdam . During the exchange of cannon fire , McAdam decided to visit a small nearby castle which had nearly been destroyed , seemingly see the castle before it was completely destroyed . While walking through the rubble of its last standing wall a stray bullet fatally wounded him .
Given the circumstance Penn had no choice but to replace McAdams and appointed Major Hooper to lead the ground troops . Major Hooper was a battle hardened soldier but lacked the leadership skills of McAdam possessed . Hooper ’ s Welch soldiers immediately challenged his authority by claiming a 2000 Pound money stash that Barnaby , the Earl of Thomond had left behind at his departure . This caused strife within the Parliamentarian forces making a tough situation even worse . The castle was in Barnaby ’ s possession earlier in the year . With the arrival of the Parliamentary troops Barnaby moved himself and his family to the safety of England until the matter had concluded . Unfortunately , Barnaby would never step foot in Bunratty again and died in England in 1657 . After the debacle with the Welch troops a Parliamentarian deserter brought word to Muskerry of McAdam ’ s death . The news surged through the Confederate camp bringing its spirits to a new high .
On July 5th more relief soldiers arrived to Penn accompanied by 80 cattle and 30 sheep , which were sent immediately to the castle for use . By the July 9th the Confederates managed to position cannons to push Penn ’ s ships even further away from Bunratty . On the July 11th the Confederates managed to occupy some earthwork areas around the castle , which had been strengthened by Penn and McAdam initially and tighten a noose around Penn and his men . This caused a number of the English forces to flee to Quay
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Fall 2016 1961 Magazine