O'Sullivan Beare had marched over 500 kilometres, crossed the River Shannon in the dark of a midwinter night (having taken just two days to make a boat of skin and hazel rods to carry 28 at a time the half-kilometre across the river), fought battles and constant skirmishes, and lost almost all of his people during the hardships of the journey. O'Sullivan's wife, who accompanied the party, carried and nursed so far through all her hardships her little boy, a baby two years old; but now she had to part with him. The route has been developed to the highest standards required by the Almost all of the land used is private and farmers and landowners have come together to grant access to walkers. Throughout the 300-mile trek they were attacked by the English and by Irish forces that were loyal to Elizabeth. The Nine Years War (1594-1603), and O'Sullivan Beare's involvement therein, precipitated the need for such a dire and dramatic flight into the unknown for these 1,000 desperate people. The story lends a fascinating historical theme to the route. Donal Cam O’Sullivan Beare was devastated by the loss and then destruction of Dunboy Castle, with the associated loss of most of the Beara peninsula to the troops of George Carew. A fierce battle took place and Carew killed all 143 defenders. As two of the last remaining Irish Chieftains who had not bowed the knee to the English crown, O'Sullivan and Ó Ruairc would thenceforth be pursued by enemy forces with even more vigour.I have included a very fine re-enactment video below; but first, the following numbered entries are from They had set out from Glengarriff a fortnight before, one thousand in number; and that morning only thirty-five entered O'Rourke's castle: eighteen armed men, sixteen servants, and one woman, the wife of the chief's uncle, Dermot O'Sullivan. March of O' Sullivan Beare This famous and epic march undertaken by O' Sullivan Bere to Leitrim through the Counties of Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Offaly, Galway, Roscommon, Sligo and eventually Leitrim arose as a result of the Irish and the Spanish defeat in … In the end, just 35 of the 1,000 souls who set out from Dunboy Castle on the extreme southwestern tip of Ireland arrived safely at Leitrim Castle to be taken in by O'Sullivan Beare's friend and ally, Ó Ruairc. the 400th anniversary of the famous March of O'Sullivan Beara, led by Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beara, chieftain of the O'Sullivan Beara clan, which was the culmination of a cycle of events that took place after the Battle of Kinsale - which saw Irish and Spanish forces defeated by a crown army. The natural beauty of the area is complemented by the numerous archaeological sites and ruins which dot its path. It is astounding that such a distant event should give rise to so many local legends - some of which are still hotly debated!Supported by the Heritage Council since 2001, the project’s champion and driver has been Jim O’Sullivan and Beara Tourism. Hunger and the cold, as well as their pursuers, were taking their toll on the diminishing band. He decided that he would head north to O’ Neill lands.On the 31st, O’Sullivan began a march out of Glengarriff and with him he had 400 soldiers and 600 women, children, and servants. The long march of O’Sullivan Beare was a daring mission to flee invading English forces to seek refugee from Irish clans in the north of Ireland.
They managed to defeat them and killed their captain Henry Malby. Mary) between Ballygar and Creggs, tired and battle weary after their encounters at Aughrim they decided to set up camp for the night.
In the aftermath of the Battle of Kinsale, Donal Cam, Chieftain of the O’Sullivan Beara clan, and his followers undertook this epic 14-day march.
Donal's father was killed in 1563, but he was considered too young to inherit and the clan leadership passed to the chief's surviving brother Eoin, who was confirmed by English authorities in Dublin with the title Lord of Beare and Bantry. 3 vols. . With 240 farmers living on the Beara Way alone, the scale of community collaboration becomes clear. This servant was able to escape and afterwards get the child safely to Spain.On the ninth day of their trek the convoy, closely pursued by their enemies, crossed the Shannon near Portland in north Tipperary. Many clans were involved in both the march and in the skirmishes which took place along the way.