Carrickfergus Castle (Co Antrim)

In 1688, the English people deposed the Catholic King James II and offered the throne to William of Orange, a Dutch prince who Statue of William III outside Carrickfergus castle. was married to James daughter Mary. James fled to France, in the following year he went to Ireland with French support, in the hope that the Roman Catholics there would help him to recover his throne.

James summoned a parliament in Dublin and declared his intention of returning the confiscated land occupied by Cromwellian settlers to the original Catholic owners. Protestants immediately proclaimed their allegiance to King William III and fortified the towns of Londonderry and Enniskillen against James.

The image on the left is a statue of William III it stands in the car park outside Carrickfergus castle, it was at the harbour of Carrickfergus that William landed the bulk of his army on 14th June 1690, with him was 15,000 troops, a train of Dutch artillery, and £200,000 in cash. Belfast Lough had probably never seen such an assemblage of ships lying at anchor, waiting to discharge their cargoes of stores, ammunition, and soldiers. This force added to that of Marshal Schomberg who had landed 10,000 thousand men the previous year (13th August 1689) at Groomsport County Down

William's army marched south his forces outnumbered the Jacobite's when they met on the 1st July 1690 at the river Boyne near Droheda County Louth, William was victorious, James fled south to Kinsale and thence to France, the bulk of his army made their way west to the Shannon. The war continued for another year until 12th July 1691 when the Jacobite army commanded by Charles Chalmont, the Marquis de Saint-Ruth was defeated at Aughrim County Galway, Aughrim was the bloodiest battle fought on Irish soil with over 7,000 slain, it marked the end of the Irish Gaelic lords in Ireland, many left for the continent where their descendants survive today.

	The Williamite Wars.
	In 1688, the English people deposed the Catholic King James II and offered the throne to William of Orange, a Dutch prince who was married to James daughter Mary. James fled to France, in the following year he went to Ireland with French support, in the hope that the Roman Catholics there would help him to recover his throne. James summoned a parliament in Dublin and declared his intention of returning the confiscated land occupied by Cromwellian settlers to the original Catholic owners. Protestants immediately proclaimed their allegiance to King William III and fortified the towns of Londonderry and Enniskillen against James. The image on the left is a statue of William III it stands in the car park outside Carrickfergus castle, it was at the harbour of Carrickfergus that William landed the bulk of his army on 14th June 1690, with him was 15,000 troops, a train of Dutch artillery, and £200,000 in cash. Belfast Lough had probably never seen such an assemblage of ships lying at anchor, waiting to discharge their cargoes of stores, ammunition, and soldiers. This force added to that of Marshal Schomberg who had landed 10,000 thousand men the previous year (13th August 1689) at Groomsport County Down William's army marched south his forces outnumbered the Jacobite's when they met on the 1st July 1690 at the river Boyne near Droheda County Louth, William was victorious, James fled south to Kinsale and thence to France, the bulk of his army made their way west to the Shannon. The war continued for another year until 12th July 1691 when the Jacobite army commanded by Charles Chalmont, the Marquis de Saint-Ruth was defeated at Aughrim County Galway, Aughrim was the bloodiest battle fought on Irish soil with over 7,000 slain, it marked the end of the Irish Gaelic lords in Ireland, many left for the continent where their descendants survive today.
	See The Battle of the Boyne.

Carrickfergus Castle.