Leaders King Aed of Connaught of the Northem O'Neills; King Ainmere of Donegal; K Donald of Ailech; Princes of Tyrone, Antrim, Ulidia and Down; Colum mac Felim mac Fergus n Conall Mac Neill, Prince Abbot (St Columba); Prince Ema (C's uncle); As declaimed by Sennaichie (Herald) of Connaught.

Forces - 6,000 gallowglasses.

Leaders - King Daimmid mac Kerball High King of Ireland and the Southern O'Neills.

Sub Kings - Kildaire, Claire, Leix, Munster, Offaly, Ben mac De Arch Driud.

Forces: 10,000 Gallowglasses.

SITUATION

Cuthan mac Aed killed a man of Dairmid mac Kerbalt's playing hurley. He ran for sanctuary to the monastery of Columcille (colum mac Felim). Dairmid's men dragged Cuthan from Santuary and stabbed him to death despite Colum's remonstrations and cursing Dairmid in the name of the Lord. Dairmid, being heathen, ignored that.

Being Curnam's relation, Colum rode north to tell King Aed. Dairmid declared war on Aed and both gathered their troops and supporters as quickly as possible. By a clever march in difficult country, roughs, bogs and mountains, Diarmid barred some of Aed's troops getting to him.

It is said that on the advice of Colum mac Felim, Dairmid took his forces from his seat of Drumcleeve and placed them on the peninsula of Cooldrevney or Maheragillerneve, throwing up a defensive rampart and ditch across the mile wide neck of it. Drumcleeve was in a place hard to defend. Dairmid's 10,000 would have to winkle Aed's forces out of a strong natural position and Aed could expect, in his own kingship to be supplied by sea.

On the evening before the battle, Bec mac De, Arch Druid summoned Aed, in no polite manner, to give Colum mac Felim up. Aed sent Bec away "with a flea in his ear." Next day, Dairmid's men erected a 30-foot high calm signifying death to their enemies. They then built a "magic" fence across the isthmus and this was processed by the druids winding in an out froths blowing signifying those that crossed the fence would die, spend eternity in torture and even be rejected by their ancestors.

In answer to the waving sunburst, skulls and hair banners, Colum took his missal scrolls and put them on poles and processed Aed's force singing psalms. He had a cross born in front of him. The scrolls were of thin leather. All this took 'til late afternoon.

Next day, Columba saw that Dairmid was in the sway of the Druids and some of his, Dairmid's followers were Christians (ea. The King of Leinster's troops. Leinster was Columba's own cousin). So Dairmid was uncertain and feared to attack. Columba counselled Aed to attack first. He proposed a dividing of their forces North and South to go into the bogs at the neck of the peninsula and attack Dairmid on both flanks at down.

At one A.M. the two parties started out and reached the scrub covered ridge position at down. The N. Was led by King Donald and the Prince of Tyrone; the S. By Aed and Ainmere. Columba went with the latter after a quarter of a mile, slopping through bog they were in position. Through the morning mist crept Aed's force hearing the enemy at prayer. The Druids greeting the return of the sun. Seizing a standard, Columba, Aed and forces rushed upon their surprised enemies bursting on them out of the mist.

The men of Dairmid panicked. Who were these forces? Reinforcements for Aed? Attacked north and south, they fled away east leaving 3,000 dead on the field. Aed's men called Columba's parchment banner "The Catehach" - the "Battle Book". Strangely, a minor chief of Donald's force, Maiglinde, took his men through the Druids "magic fence" by mistake in the mist. Maiglinde was killed and his men thrown back.

Wargame

Troops - Minifigs probably still do a long list of Irish and Redoubt Enterprises do gallowglaich and their superiors, Frei Korps do a Renaissance list and even though it's 1,000 years or so later, a lot of the bhoys would look very much the same. You know the numbers, so fit them to the proportions of troops you have.

Rules - WRG cover these, as usual, or make up your own. You can bring "magic" into it for morale effects of the fence and banners.

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