Aughrim

Aughrim or Aghrim , village, Co. Galway, W central Republic of Ireland. It was the scene of a battle (July 12, 1691) in which the forces of William III of Great Britain won a decisive victory over those of James II.

Aughrim, battle of, 1691. The battle of the Boyne in July 1690 did not end the conflict in Ireland. The Jacobites held Limerick and Galway and much territory west of the Shannon. The task of subduing them was left to William's Dutch commander, Ginkel, who took Athlone on 30 June 1691 and crossed the Shannon. The Jacobites, under the command of Saint-Ruth, a French nobleman, dug in near Aughrim, defended by bogs, streams, and stone walls. On 12 July Ginkel, with just over 20,000 men, launched his attack against the same number. Heavy fighting continued all day but after Saint-Ruth had been killed the Jacobites broke, losing guns and ammunition. Galway surrendered later in July, Limerick in October.

J. A. Cannon

Aughrim, battle of (12 July 1691), in the Williamite War. The Williamites had crossed the Shannon at Athlone on 30 June. The marquis de Saint‐Ruth, Jacobite commander, made a stand at Kilcommodon or Aughrim Hill, 16 miles to the south west, in Co. Galway. His army was strongly placed behind a marsh, but was outflanked when Williamite cavalry crossed a causeway to its left, Saint‐Ruth being decapitated by a cannon ball before he could order a response. The slaughter of the fleeing Jacobites, bringing their total losses to over 7,000, makes this the bloodiest battle fought in Ireland.