Gallowglass

For other uses, seeGalloglass (disambiguation)andGallowglass (novel).

TheGallowglass(also spelledgalloglass,gallowglasorgalloglas;fromIrish:gallóglaighmeaning "foreign warriors" ) were a class of elitemercenarywarriorswho were principally members of theNorse-Gaelicclans of Ireland and Scotland between themid 13th century and late 16th century.It originally applied toScots,who shared a common background and language with theIrish,but as they were descendants of 10th-centuryNorsesettlers who had intermarried with the local population inwestern Scotland,the Irish called themGall Gaeil( "foreign Gaels" ).

Fifteenth-century sculpted figures of Gallowglassas depicted upon the apparent effigy ofFeidhlimidh Ó Conchobhair,King of Connachtand father ofÁed na nGall,victor ofthe Battle of Connacht.

An early family of gallowglasses was theMacSweeneys,settled by theO'Donnellsin north Donegal. These were followed byMacDonnells,MacCabesand several other groups settled by powerful Irish nobles in different areas. The gallowglasses were attractive as heavily armoured, trained infantry to be relied upon as a strong defence for holding a position, unlike most Irish foot soldiers, who were less well armoured than the typical Irish noble who fought as cavalry.

They were a significant part of Irish infantry before the advent ofgunpowder,and depended upon seasonal employment byIrish clan chiefs.An Irish military leader would often choose a gallowglass to serve as his personal aide and bodyguard because, as a foreigner, a gallowglass would be less influenced by the internal feuds over dynastic succession within thederbhfineof theIrish clans.

Name

A MedievalHebrideanwarrior

TheIrish languagegallóglachis derived fromgall"foreign" andóglach;fromOld Irishoac(meaning "youth" ) and Old Irishlóeg(meaning "calf" but later becoming a word for a "hero" ). The Old Irish language pluralgallóglaighis literally "foreign young warriors".(The modern Irish plural isgalloglagh.)

According to theOxford English Dictionary(OED), the English language singular, gallowglass, is ananglicisationof Old Irish pluralgallóglaigh,rather than the singular. The OED, which prefers the spelling "galloglass", provides examples of various English plural forms, dating back to ac. 1515use of "galloglasseis". The OED states that the conventional English plural, gallo(w)glasses, is "probably the result" of the duplicate, redundant plural suffix-esbeing added to the Irish plural.(The OED notes that while the modern Irish pluralgalloglaghappears to be "etymologically correct", it is recorded later than English gallowglasses.) For instance,Shakespeareuses the form "gallowglasses" inMacbeth.The OED adds that "galloglasses is found... in our earliest quot," even though "in some early instances", a relatively early, alternate English plural form,galloglas,is also used.Hence, English gallowglass is probably a singularised form, which post-dates the plural, gallowglasses.

Origin and description

The gallowglass were from the western coast of Scotland, principallyArgylland theWestern Isles.Their weapons were swords and axes. Each was usually accompanied by a man to take care of his weapons and armour and a boy to carry provisions.

A description from 1600 speaks of the gallowglass as "pycked and seelected men of great and mightie bodies, crewell without compassion. The greatest force of the battell consisteth in them, chosinge rather to dye then to yeelde, so that when yt cometh to handy blowes they are quickly slayne or win the feilde".

History

See also:Norman Ireland

Gallowglass gravestone from Cloncha Church, Ireland, circa 15–16th century. Note thehurlingstick and ball.

The first record of gallowglass service was in1259,whenAedh Ó Conchobair,King of Connacht,received a dowry of 160 Scottish warriors from the daughter ofDubhghall mac Ruaidhri,theKing of the Hebrides.They were organised into groups known as acorrughadh,which consisted of about 100 men.

The importation of gallowglasses into Ireland was a major factor in containing theAnglo-Normaninvasion of the 12th century, as their ranks stiffened the resistance of the Irish lordships. Throughout theMiddle Agesin Ireland, gallowglass troops were maintained by Gaelic Irish andHiberno-Normanlords alike. Even the EnglishLord Deputy of Irelandusually kept a company of them in his service.

In return for military service, gallowglass contingents were given land and settled in Irish lordships, where they were entitled to receive supplies from the local population.

By 1512, there were reported to be fifty-nine groups throughout the country under the control of the Irish nobility. Though initially they were mercenaries, over time they settled and their ranks became filled with both Scots-Norse and many native Irish men.

In 1569,Turlough Luineach O'Neill(the O'Neill) marriedLady Agnes Campbell,daughter ofColin Campbell, 3rd Earl of Argyll,and widow ofJames MacDonald, 6th of Dunnyveg.Her dowry consisted of at least 1,200 gallowglass fighters. Along with two young men as support and friends on top to assist or fight this could easily have numbered over 5,000 current and future gallowglasses coming into the area.

They were noted for wielding the massive two-handedsparth axe(a custom noted byGeraldus Cambrensis,died c. 1223, to have derived from their Norse heritage) and broadsword orclaymore(claidheamh mór). For armour, the gallowglass wore amailshirt over a padded jacket and an iron helmet; he was usually accompanied by two boys (like a knight'ssquires), one of whom carried histhrowing spearswhile the other carried his provisions.

Shakespearementions gallowglasses inMacbeth,although along with other aspects of the play it is an anachronism, as thehistorical Macbethlived in the 11th century:

The merciless Macdonwald,
Worthy to be a rebel, for to that
The multiplying villainies of nature
Do swarm upon him, from the Western isles
Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied

In the paper "A Description of the Power of Irishmen", written early in the 16th century, the Irish forces ofLeinsterare numbered at 522 horses and five battalions of gallowglass (gallóglaigh) and 1,432kerne,and those of the other provinces were in like proportion.Mac Cárthaigh Mórcommanded 40 horses, two battalions of gallowglass, and 2,000 kerne; theEarl of Desmond400 horses, three battalions of gallowglass, and 3,000 kerne, besides a battalion of crossbowmen and gunners, the smaller chieftains supplying each their quota of men.

Irish gallowglass andkern.Drawing byAlbrecht Dürer,1521. This is now thought to have been derived from a 1518 written account by Laurent Vital, rather than a drawing from life.

In 1517, "when the reformacion of the countrye was taken in hand", it was reported that the Irish forces inThomondwere 750 horses, 2,324 kerne, and six "batayles" of gallowglass, the latter including 60 to 80 footmen harnessed with spears; each of these had a man to bear his harness, some of whom themselves carried spears or bows.

Every kerne had a bow, a "skieve" or quiver, three spears, a sword, and askeneorsgian(Irishscianor Scottish Gaelicsgian), each two of them having a lad to carry their weapons. The horsemen had two horses apiece, some three, the second bearing the "knave" or his attendant.

The 16th century in Ireland saw an escalation in military conflict, caused by theTudor conquest of Ireland.Gallowglass fighters were joined by native Irish mercenaries calledbuanadha(literally "quartered men" ) and by newer Scottish mercenaries known as "redshanks".During theFirst Desmond Rebellion,Lord President of MunsterSir William Druryordered the execution of 700 captured gallowglasses.

Despite the increased use of firearms in Irish warfare, gallowglasses remained an important part ofHugh Ó Neill's forces in theNine Years' War.After the combined Irish defeat at theBattle of Kinsalein 1601, recruitment of gallowglasses waned, although Scottish Highland mercenaries continued to come to Ireland until the 1640s (notablyAlasdair Mac Colla). They fought under the Irish generalOwen Roe O'Neillat theBattle of Benburbwhen O'Neill had an overwhelming victory in 1646. The gallowglasses of theMac Cárthaigh Riabhaighare recorded as having attackedMallowinCounty Corkas late as 1645.

Images of gallowglasses fighting as mercenaries in European mainland armies were sketched byDürerin 1521 and later by French and Dutch artists.Gallowglasses served in theDutch Blue Guards,Swiss Guard,the FrenchScottish Guard,and the forces of KingGustavus Adolphus of Swedenin his invasion ofLivoniaduring theThirty Years' War.

Millford in County Donegal,historically called Ballynagalloglagh (from Irish:Baile na nGallóglach), is a small town and townland whose Irish name means "town of the gallowglasses".A battle between the Irish (helped by gallóglaigh) and the English took place on a hill in the townland and this is where the name comes from.

See also

• Úlfhéðnar
• Fianna
• Gallogly,a surname

Sources

• G. A. Hayes McCoy,Irish Battles,Appletree Press, Belfast, 1990.
• Colm Lennon,Sixteenth Century Ireland: The Incomplete Conquest,Gill & MacMillan, Dublin 1994.
• The Galloglass Project(compiled at TCD, placed online at UCC)