Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare - O'Sullivan's March

O'Sullivan's March

Donal himself was absent from the siege, having travelled to the north of the island for a conference with Hugh O'Neill. His letter to Philip left him with little hope of a pardon from the English, and he continued the fight with guerilla tactics.

He was eventually forced to gather up his remaining followers, including women and children, and set off for the north, on a 250-mile march which he and his people completed in 14 days. He fought a long rearguard action across Ireland, during which the much larger English force fought him all the way, as did rival Irish leaders. The march is one of the most poignant in Irish history and was marked by enormous suffering as the fleeing and starving O'Sullivans sought food from an already decimated Irish countryside in winter, often resulting in hostility, such as from the Mac Egans at Redwood Castle in Tipperary. O'Sullivan marched through Aughrim, where he raided villages for food and met with local resistance. He was barred entrance to Glinsk castle and led his refugees further north. On their arrival at the O'Rourke's castle in Leitrim on January 4th 1603, only 35 of the original 1,000 remained. Many had died in battles or from exposure and hunger, and others had settled along the route. In Leitrim, O'Sullivan sought to join with other northern chiefs to fight the English and organised a force to this end, but resistance ended when Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone signed the Treaty of Mellifont. O'Sullivan, like other member of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland who fled, sought exile, making his escape to Spain by ship .