The city of Galway - built as a naval base and military fort by Tairrdelbach mac Ruaidri Ua Conchobair in 1124, refounded as a town by Richard Mor de Burgh in 1230 - has been subjected to a number of battles, sacks and sieges. This article enumerates them. Tairrdelbach mac Ruaidri Ua Conchobair, King of Connacht, born 1088, died 1156. ... Richard Mor de Burgh, eldest son of William de Burgh; born after 1294, died 1242. ...

O Brian's siege of 1132

O Brian's siege of 1149

De Burgh's siege of 1230

De Burgh's siege of 1232

O Conchobhair's siege of 1233

De Burgh's siege of 1235

O Conchobair and MacGillaPadraig's siege of 1247

Clanricarde's siege of 1504

O Donnell's siege of 1596

Lord Forbes's siege of 1642

On the morning of the 7th August 1642, to the "considerable agitation and suspence [of the] town", a naval squadron of seventeen ships appeared in Galway Bay. Led by Alexander, 11th Lord Forbes (died 1671), they had come to relive the garrision of Forthill at the request of the English Parliment, and had enabled him, as Lieutenant-General, to waste the coasts of Ireland. Launching long boats from the ship, Forthill was resupplied with food, arms and ammunition. Forbes then sent a messenger with a letter for Mayor Walter Lynch fitz James, ordering them to "confess themselves to have been rebels, and humbly submitting to beg his majesty's intercession for them to the parliament of England, and to declare they would admit such governors as the king and state should appoint, and until then put themselves under the protection of Lord Forbes." Events January 4 - Charles I attempts to arrest five leading members of the Long Parliament, but they escape. ...

Mayor Lynch and the town council utterly refused the terms, to the suprise and anger of Lord Forbes. They instead made representations to the Earl of Clanricarde - who was at the time a neutral - for protection. Clanricarde in turn communicated to Forbes that should he make war against the town, it would be both a breech of the peace and endanger the country by bringing yet another area into the war. Furthermore, he made it clear that should the citizens become actively hostile against Forbes, there would be nothing he could do to influence them. Earl of Clanricarde is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. ...

According to James Hardiman " ... Forbes, simulated by Willoughby and Ashley" - captains of the besiged Forthill - "and governed by the advice of Hugh Peters, whom he brough with him as his chaplin ... was entirely deaf to every remonstrance of reason or discretion." Being unable to directly assult the town itself, Forbes landed men west of the town and took possession of the Claddagh, on the west bank of the Corrib. All of the town's surrounding suburbs and villages were burned and destroyed; dozens of locals were killed, assaulted and raped. St. Mary's Church in the Claddagh was badly defaced; in its graveyard, coffins were dug up as Lord Forbes's troops searched the bodys for rings, gold chains and the like. James Hardiman (1782-1855), also known as Seamus O hArgadain, was born in the west of Ireland around 1782. ... The Claddagh was once a fishing village located just outside the walls for Galway city where the Corrib River meets Galway Bay. ... A map of Lough Corrib taken from the Admiralty Chart made in 1846 Lough Corrib (Loch Coirib in Irish) is a lake in the west of Ireland. ...

Forbes placed "two peices of ordnance", or cannons, at St. Mary's and used them to bombard Galway. However, they had little effect and by early September Forbes's men were becoming irritated at both their lack of progress and lack of payment. On the 7th September he cut his losses and sailed for Limerick. Forthill was once more under seige and on its own, Clanricarde's political stock had plummeted as he had being unable to prevent the sacking, and any waverers among the people of Galway were now solidly on the Irish Confederate side.

Confederate siege of Forthill 1642-43

Clanricarde's siege of 1647

Coote's siege 1651-1652

This map of 1651 shows the walled city (North is to the left). The River Corrib is in the foreground, crossed by what is now "O'Briens Bridge", leading to Mainguard Street.

Download high resolution version (947x668, 421 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (947x668, 421 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Events January 1 - Charles II crowned King of Scotland in Scone. ... The River Corrib in the west of Ireland flows from Lough Corrib through Galway city to Galway Bay. ...

Ginkel's siege of 1691

Siege of 1921