Gaelic Chieftain, Boyle, County Roscommon

Two miles north of the town of Boyle, is the site of the Battle of the Curleius, which took place in 1599. It is commemorated by one of Ireland's most magnificent road-side pieces of sculptured metal of a Gaelic Chieftain, sculptured by Maurice Harron. There is a picnic area provided by the Gaelic Chieftain allowing one to sit and take in the magnificent views over Lough Key.

The Battle of Curlew Pass was fought on the 15th of August 1599, during the campaign of the Earl of Essex in the Nine Years' War, between an English force under Sir Conyers Clifford and a rebel Irish force led by "Red" Hugh O'Donnell. The English were ambushed and routed while marching through a pass in the Curlew Mountains, near the town of Boyle, in northwestern Ireland. The English forces suffered heavy casualties. Losses by allied Irish forces were not recorded but were probably minimal.

In hot harvest weather, Clifford’s force marched from Athlone through Roscommon, Tulsk and Boyle. At 4pm on August 15, they reached the foot of the Curlew Mountains (highest point 860 feet), which had to be crossed before Sligo could be approached. The expedition was poorly supplied, and Clifford's men were tired and hungry, and probably in no fit state to continue. But Clifford had received false intelligence that the pass was undefended, and he therefore chose to seize the opportunity and march across, promising his troops plenty of beef in the evening. This meant that his men missed out on the rest that had been planned for them in Boyle, whereas the Irish were well fed and prepared.

The English came under gunfire, arrow and javelin attack as soon as they reached the first of O'Donnell’s barricades, between Boyle and Ballinafad. The barricade was immediately abandoned by the Irish but as the English moved past and proceeded up the hill they sustained further casualties. The road consisted of "stones of six or seven foot broad, lying above ground, with plashes of bog between them", and was lined with woodland on one side. The further the English advanced, the more intensive the rebels' fire became, and some English soldiers began to lose their nerve and slip away. Eventually, there was a firefight, lasting about 90 minutes, at the end of which the English vanguard had run out of gunpowder.

The commander of the vanguard, Alexander Radcliffe, could no longer control his troops. They wheeled about in a panic and collided with the main column, which broke and fled. The commander led a charge with his remaining pikemen but was shot dead. With the English ranks in disarray, the main body of Irish infantry, which had concealed itself on the reverse slope of the hill, closed in and fought hand to hand. Clifford tried to regain control over his men, but appeared overcome by his circumstances. He managed to rally himself and was killed by a pike-thrust as he rushed the enemy. The English were routed, but the situation was prevented from becoming a complete disaster for them when the commander of the horse, Sir Griffin Markham (with John Harington in his ranks), charged uphill - "amongst rocks and bogs where never horse was seen to charge before" - and temporarily drove the rebels back.

Though the actions of the English cavalry allowed many of their foot soldiers to escape, Clifford's men were pursued as far as the town of Boyle, where they found shelter in Boyle Abbey. About 500 English were killed in the battle. Irish losses were not recorded, but were probably small, having been firing from prepared positions and then routing a disorganised and demoralised enemy.

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