Inchiquin's Defection
Archived: 15 October 2026
In 1644, Confederate Ireland governed extensive territory from Kilkenny while negotiating with Charles I’s administration for Catholic worship, property, officeholding and parliamentary freedoms. Ormond pursued peace, but no settlement emerged. A major Confederate expedition under Castlehaven and Owen Roe O’Neill failed to dislodge Robert Monro’s Covenanter forces in Ulster, exposing divisions and supply weaknesses. Meanwhile, Alasdair MacColla’s troops crossed to Scotland to support royalists, prompting Westminster’s no-quarter ordinance. In Munster, Lord Inchiquin repudiated the cessation, joined Parliament, and expelled Catholics from Cork, Youghal and Kinsale. Trade continued amid war, but requisitioning, displacement and insecurity afflicted civilians deeply throughout the island.
