1961 Magazine Fall 2016

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