The Welshmen of Tyrawley

by Graham Barratt

  After locking up what he could, O’Kelly had re-located to the village of Doona with the other people of Fahy. Thankfully, the family were long gone when the Spanish arrived. O’Kelly ensured that the water well was un-locked and accessible, as he hoped they would only take water and move on quickly.

  After securing the castle, De Leiva gave the order to fortify the castle perimeter with the most mobile cannons and guns. Across the bay could clearly be seen the Spanish ship, Duquesa Santa Ana, with which they intended to meet up. Then order was given to take all that was available from the castle and to move on as quickly as possible.

  The old Anglo-Norman stronghold was a soft target for the Spanish and De Leiva would need to take it. One camp would be made at Fahy Castle clearly visible close to the beach, the heaviest of the recoverable cannons were then placed to protect both the camp near the boat and the castle. The Spanish visitors had some good fortune though. Despite many homes, both the landing site and the area around Fahy castle and the nearby church had been deserted. The Spanish were very well placed and they had a good vantage in all directions. Through difficulties getting to the castle, it became clear that the heavy cannons would have to be abandoned when they left. They were too heavy to be transported, first through the sand and then through bog and turf tracks. However, the range of the lighter arms and cannons would afford them excellent protection, while they “fell-up” and until they moved on from the castle, which would not be long if they were to avoid confrontation.

  The camp near the boat would provide protection for many of the nobles and allow time to evacuate the boat of its supplies. With 35 cannons on board, some heavy guns were non-essential items would have to be left on the Rata. As commander, De Leiva made sure that he took all his logs, equipment and personal belongings. He called for the cabin boys to take the trunks away and met with his officers one final time as the ships commander. As well as a boost to morale, the plans discussed covered the evacuation and tactics for survival, including the initial camp at Fahy and destruction of the boat.

  Later in the evening, sailing master, Giovanni Avancini and 14 others took the only landing boat ashore. In time, the deserters were subsequently captured by the Bourkes and disposed of in accordance with the English decree. De Leiva continued with his evacuation plan while some men floated out in casks. Not wishing to get wet, they paddled ashore and recovered the boat.

  De Leiva was aware through messages and contact with other Spanish vessels of certain details. Some refugees had reported back on a decree issued from Dublin. On behalf of Queen Elizabeth, Lord Deputy Fitzwilliam had issued a decree calling for the summary execution of all Spanish on sight to prevent any possible alliance with the rebels. Torture was to be allowed where information was not freely offered. Despite a common faith with the Irish and certain alliances in the past, the influence of the crown on Irish matters was beginning to take effect. A landing by Spanish invaders would not be welcome. This would be a dangerous place for people who had arms, equipment and wealth to come ashore, especially when parts of the country was now controlled by the forces of the English Queen. De Leiva was aware that there could be English troops massing towards the west coast and so gave the immediate order to disembark the crippled boat with maximum haste.

  Elsewhere on the coast, after the sinking and grounding of more ships, the orders to kill became a reality. The Spanish were suffering a cruel dispatch by organised Clansmen and gallowglass warriors. As soon as the exhausted Spanish came ashore, many Irish were keen to slay them, survey the wreckage and pillage the boats. Clansmen were known to wade into the surf and systematically murder dozens of them. Further down the coast, following the wrecking of a galleon, one Scottish gallowglass had murdered up to 80 Spanish, as they emerged exhausted and injured from the sea. With the exception of a small number of highly ranked Spanish, almost all were put to the sword.

  The pirate queen, Gráinne Ní Mháille (Grace O’Malley), had been active for many years and had exploited the demand for mercenaries, introducing the gallowglass from Hebridean Scotland and had built up a significant reliance on this trade in Ireland. Associated with Scottish clans, these ruthless killers were neither concerned nor sympathetic to Irish Clan issues. They served the rich Irish chiefs by fighting in their local skirmishes as well as conflicts with the English. At times, the gallowglass was perceived to be a threat to English supremacy in Ireland. Many warriors had been executed at the orders of Queen Elizabeth and their numbers were now much fewer; however, redshanks and mercenaries were a significant asset for the Irish rebels.

  Execution of the Spanish satisfied the orders from Dublin and at the same time provided some profit for local people and clans. De Leiva was therefore determined to ensure the safety of his people and prevent capture at any costs.

  It seemed an eternity before the ship could be disembarked. There was a long delay to establish safety on the beach, while the soldiers took up their positions. Initially and before the boat would start to break up, a small contingent of gunners were left on board. They were posted in order to arm the few heavy cannons and provide protection. This would provide long range and appropriate protection of the surrounding beach, in case of attack from the Irish or an English patrol. Once the armed sailors and soldiers were ashore, the transfer of supplies and people could then begin. Many able bodied men were called to row the boat and to provide a chain of people, to pass arms, supplies, chests and the weak amongst them to the beach-head, which consisted of a semi-circle of armed sailors and soldiers.

  Although the boat had been equipped with many large cannons, often the calibres of shot did not all match the cannon and so their effectiveness of range, accuracy and power in a battle would frequently be limited. Cannons were larger and more difficult to transport than culverins and many were left on board the Rata, but they were still in range of Fahy and were to be manned until it was fully abandoned and the castle was occupied.

  The order to move to the castle came almost immediately after completing the disembarkation. There were several imperatives. The contingent needed supplies and water and required to rendezvous with the other ships they had seen in Blacksod Bay. Most importantly, they needed to make haste before the Irish increased their numbers and made an attack. By now, the word would have spread that there was considerable wealth on board the Spanish ships, now being carried by their occupants.

  Once a contingent of soldiers were ashore, Doona church was occupied to give an inland vantage point and early warning of any attack by the clans or English Army. The bridge across the Owenmore was then destroyed in order to provide a delay and expose any oncoming forces to Spanish fire. A group of sailors commenced the breaking of all the locks and took as much water, fodder and stock as they could find. Despite needing water for the voyage back home, De Leiva ensured that there was not a full load, but a realistic amount loaded onto the carts, which would give them enough to reach the Santa Ana or to be able to sack the next target en-route. They managed to rustle some horses without attracting too much attention but had very little fit livestock and so many carts had to be pulled by hand. Dominic and Cirilo did what they could to assist with the effort and took up positions far into the beach. They worked to and fro leading a horse and cart, carrying supplies across the exposed countryside.

  Cirilo stopped for a moment and gazed fixedly towards the horizon.

  ‘Sire, we are being watched by at least three men on horseback.’

  ‘My sight is short and I cannot see them, Cirilo. Where are they?’

  Dominic was experiencing a deterioration of his long vision. It was becoming difficult with any clarity; however, he could thread a needle with precision. Although he had seen some high status people with looking glasses, up until now, he had not had the opportunity or desire to acquire any in Spain.

  ‘Over there, in line with the mountain valley to the left.’

  Cirilo had spotted three Irish clansmen on horseback. The sight of the tall masts of the Rata and other
boats had attracted the attention of many clansmen and lookouts. The huge carrack had been in sight for some considerable time and the clans were becoming more than curious. The Spanish though had a reputation as an elite and fearsome fighting force, which was better than even the English and to provoke a skirmish might be a step too far. The majority of Spanish soldiers, although surrounding the camp, were dug in too low to see the riders just a few ridges away. This was not without comfort for the riders as they did not want to risk an attack until they were sure that it was a fight they could win.

  ‘Will they attack, sire?’

  ‘No, they will know that our numbers are higher than theirs without muster and we are armed with muskets and culverins. They have only swords, bows and Halberds. Our greatest threat though is from the English Protestant Army. It is they who will want us dead. I prefer to assume the Irish, being Catholics as us, may in some way feel that we are their friends and united in our beliefs and politics.’

  Each of the three scouts had a responsibility to scan an area, front, back, left and right as they moved across the landscape. The mounted visitors would stay their distance for now.

  ‘Why would a few clansmen risk life for a skirmish they cannot win without higher numbers, other than to delay the inevitable? Keep working, don’t stop, we need to occupy that castle without delay. If there is an attack, then the militia will deal with it.’

  The situation of the Rata was not unique, there were many wrecks at several locations off the coast of Ireland and Scotland. Patrols of the coastline were common and a confrontation with the English was expected at any time. Unbeknown to De Leiva, Bingham had made demands for additional English forces over several weeks and all his requests had been denied. Due to the refusals, coupled with his disdain for the lord deputy, Bingham decided not to attack De Leiva. The lord deputy believed it would divert precious resource away, take too much time and the Irish would probably put an end to them anyway. The fate of the crew was therefore largely with the Irish, despite the pressure through legislation to hand the invaders over to the English authorities.

  The clansmen party had been sent by the Barrett Chief Richard, the MacPadine. It consisted of James Bourke, the son of Walter; Richard Barrett, son of the MacPadine and a rather reluctant young Thomas Welsh. The scouts were to report on infringements from the many boats they had been seen off the Mayo coast. Young Thomas had been chosen in order to help in giving the Welsh clan a greater stake in their affairs and to represent the lower clans. He had realised that there was money to be made from war if opportunities were exploited. He had a foremost desire to fight for the lower clans first and for Ireland second, but there were few resources for doing so and it was by no means certain which of his ambitions would prevail.

  In the face of a possible incursion by the Spanish, the clans had agreed to unite. In addition, multi-clan patrols and forces had been agreed by elders many years earlier and had helped keep alliances constant and peaceful for some time. This helped relations between the clans in Mayo who had always been allied by their common Welsh and Norman heritage. The allied elders were concerned with protecting their people from tribal threats and potential sacking of property. Brehon law was effective and would bring justice to any individual transgressors, rather than spark a new clan skirmish.

  The riders used the worn tracks and ditches in the turf to keep their profile as low as possible while they half-circled Fahy, but getting closer on each pass. The Irish, including the Barretts were uncertain as to the motives of the foreigners and local chiefs needed to establish whether there was threat to the community or if their presence was transitional and non-aggressive. Taking over a Barrett castle and a church was therefore not a good sign for the Irish. Although the boat had run aground and was clearly unusable, Spanish forces were well known in Ireland following incursions and incidents with the forces of the Earls some years earlier. The soldiers were ruthless combatants, well trained and with good weaponry.

  For a full day now, a young soldier had been on watch, providing overlapped protection with his adjacent lookouts. His eyes faltered and his head nodded with tiredness. In addition to the harsh conditions endured on the boat, he had only four hours sleep in two sessions the previous night. The soldier to his right was already asleep, although aimed and braced as though he was ready to fire.

  The soldier’s head remained low as he spotted the Irish mounts. He looked behind to signal to his commander that he had spotted them, but there was no one to receive his gesture. To shout to his leader or to move closer to the church would have given away his position and exposed him to risk or he would lose the element of surprise. He had to use his own judgement. They were getting too close to him and he feared an attack. Surely they couldn’t beat the Spanish forces? Will they decide to pick off a couple of soldiers if they could get close enough to throw their spears? He did not want the casualty to be himself and did not want to be responsible for an attack on his people. All the time, the horsemen were getting closer to the church.

  He decided he would fire a warning shot before they got any closer to any of the other defence positions and perhaps make an attack unseen by others. Hopefully one shot would not give away his position and it would certainly alert the camp.

  The young man loaded the musket. He pulled out his powder horn, filled the pan with gunpowder, closed it and blew off the excess, while keeping one eye on the movement of the three scouts. Calmly, he pushed the barrel back, lifted it and poured powder down it, before dropping down a single shot ball and rag. Pulling free the ramrod, he pushed the shot into place. Now his only hope was that the powder was not too damp to fire as he lined up the sights and targeted the sky above one of the riders. He moved the barrel upwards and between Richard and James in the knowledge that the shot would need to be aimed skywards in order to give it extra range. He knew that the horsemen were too far away for the shot to be either accurate or deadly, but the intention was to deter them from coming any closer. He pulled the trigger release and there was a delay while the ignition travelled from to the charge behind the shot. The young soldier was lucky, the shot was not damp. Crack! The shot screamed out towards the riders and passed close by before rolling on the grass. Smoke from the damp powder rose into the air, betraying his position at the church. Richard’s beast reared up as the men all turned their horses around quickly to survey the area for more soldiers before swiftly riding off down a gulley. They knew the shot was from a safe range but feared snipers who may be positioned closer, behind walls or in the undergrowth. Rather than ride directly away from the church, they took a route traversing the line of sight to maintain a moving target. To ride directly away would present a stationary target to any Spanish rifle or cannon sights.

  ‘Thomas, keep your head down below that of your beast and make their target small. James, you take the lead and I will cover your rear. We will take the next left hand lane to the beach.’

  The gallop continued until they were out of range of any further Spanish artillery. The lack of artillery fire was a possible sign, either that their cannons were not serviceable due to lack of shot, wet powder or that they did not want to provoke a battle. Probably, all three were true. The scouts camped in the vicinity but out of musket range in order to be able to take the advantage when it arose.

  After two days, the transfer of people, arms and supplies was complete. The supplies had included the many riches, assets and treasures taken on board by the Spanish nobility. The transfer was achieved through winching, dropping and lowering with ropes onto the sole boat. The whole party, including Dominic and Cirilo were now ashore and populating the camp. After one further day, they were ready to move on, but De Leiva ordered one final task at Doona. The ship was to be torched according to Spanish sailing protocol and destroyed where it lay. If it served no further purpose for the Spanish, then they would need to prevent the possibility that advantage or gain could be made from it. The worst-case scenario would be if it was re-floated and used by enemies.


  Melchor was in command of the fire party. He approached the campfire where many people were resting.

  ‘We have been ordered to set fire to the Rata. I’ll take you five and you – the blackamoor.’

  With a smile on his face, Melchor pointed in turn to each one of five bedraggled sailors and then Cirilo, who looked back directly at Dominic and fell into line in abeyance.

  Dominic, knowing that Melchor disliked the slave, asked to be included in the fire party.

  ‘I will help too, eight is better than seven.’

  ‘No, you will go forward with the main party.’

  As Dominic walked forward, Melchor stepped towards him and placed his long fingers around Dominic’s throat. Balancing his huge frame to compensate for the power about to be exerted; he used the full force of one arm in a single lunge, causing him to fall backwards onto the beach, choking. Melchor followed through with a massive kick to the groin. Dominic writhed in agony and cried tears as he struggled to gain his breath. Cirilo could only watch from a distance as he heard Dominic yell out in pain. They were out of the sight of any of the ships officers and the attack went un-noticed.