Advance in Leinster and Meath

Mac Murrough, say the Annals, had been ” brought low ” by Richard’s formidable army.   But the Irish quickly recovered.     The O’Byrnes, although defeated  by the  Dublincitizens at Bray,captured Newcastle, which guarded the coast road, while the O’Moores also defeated the English.    

Above:Map of  County Wexford

Art captured  Enniscorth and  other castles, drove Ormonde out of all the northern part of County Wexford, and then, moving to the other side of the mountains, captured the important centre of Castledermot (1405). 

  He soon received a check, however, when his ally O’Carroll ofEile suffered a severe defeat at Callan (1407).  

 But he soon recovered, and next year he defeated the future Henry V at Kilmainham under the very walls of Dublin (1409).
All this time Murrough O’Connor and his son Calvagh were capturing towns and castles from the English of Meath and Kildare.  

 The army of Meath was defeated in 1411 and the Sheriff of Meath captured, and two years later, in a decisive battle at Killucan, many important prisoners fell into the hands of the midland clans.  

At length the inhabitants of Meath purchased peace by the payment of ” black rent ” to O’Connor.