The Nine Years War (1593-1603), sometimes known as Tyrone's Rebellion, was one of the most devastating and brutal conflicts to sweep the island. Never would the English Crown come so close to losing its grip on Ireland. It was brought on by a combination of English misrule, Irish ambition and the fortuitous creation of political ties with Spain. A confederation of Irish lords led by the charismatic and exceptionally gifted Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, swept from one victory to another. Part 2 of this series examines how the English recovered from the brink of defeat. The victory of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, over the English at the Battle of the Yellow Ford sparked a fire that consumed the English plantation in Munster and significantly weakened the English position in Ireland. Queen Elizabeth's favourite, the Earl of Essex, was sent to restore control, but his blundering left Crown authority on the island near to collapse. However, the arrival of Charle Blount, Lord Mountjoy, at the start of 1600, transformed English fortunes. After seven years of near-continuous setbacks, Mountjoy turned the tide against Tyrone's confederation. Unlike his predecessors, Mountjoy did not underestimate his enemies, developing an island-wide strategy to break up Tyrone's network of alliances. Moreover, he restored order and confidence in the Crown's army by replicating many of the military reforms of the Irish. Supported by able men such as Sir George Carew, Mountjoy pushed back on Irish gains and brought the war to Tyrone's Ulster heartlands. Mountjoy's strategy was costly in English lives, but his success was undeniable as his unrelenting campaigns gained ground from Tyrone. The fate of all sides converged when a Spanish landing of 4,000 troops at Kinsale led to a ferocious winter siege and the pivotal Battle of Kinsale. Mountjoy triumphed on Christmas Eve 1601, breaking Tyrone's military power forever, but the war was not done. Its bloodiest phase was still ahead, as English armies brought scorched earth and massacres to the Irish as never before. Only after Ulster was wasted and Ireland wracked by famine did Tyrone finally submit in 1603, ending the war and completing the Tudor conquest. AUTHOR: Dr O'Neill worked in the heritage sector Northern Ireland for over 30 years, where he specialised in battlefield archaeology and Twentieth Century defence heritage. He received his doctorate at Queens University Belfast in 2013 and has published extensively on the Nine Years War including a monograph titled The Nine Years War 1593-1603: O'Neill, Mountjoy and the Military Revolution, and part 1 of this series 'The ascendancy of Irish arms and the road to Yellow Ford, 1593-1598'. He works as the Collections Officer at the Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum in Belfast. 10 b/w illustrations, 10 b/w photos, 15 colour illustrations, 10 colour photos, 5pp colour plates 2 b/w & 5 colour maps
