Rinuccini's Arrival
Archived: 15 October 2026
In 1645, the Catholic Confederation strengthened its position by capturing Duncannon Fort after Thomas Preston’s siege, gaining control over an important Waterford Harbour defence but not coastal supremacy. Secret negotiations between Edward Somerset, earl of Glamorgan, and Confederate representatives promised religious concessions and troops for Charles I, but their disclosure damaged royalist prospects. Archbishop Malachy Ó Caollaidhe died amid Connacht fighting. Papal nuncio Giovanni Battista Rinuccini arrived with money, arms and authority, intensifying demands for enforceable Catholic guarantees. War imposed severe local burdens, while Jesuits founded a Galway school and John Colgan published a major saints’ collection at Leuven abroad.