Cruachan - The Nine Year War

"Come ye Gaelic chiefs and raise your banners high,
Let loose your warrior clans and sound the battle cry!
The Saxons are advancing, their ambition we must quell
Unite the Irish clans and send them all to Hell!"

Led by Hugh O'Neil, our most noble Gaelic Lord,
Aided by the Spanish, we amassed 8000 swords.
In Ulster we began, we readied for the fight,
The Callous inside The Pale he would plead - beg - implore!

The Earl of Essex landed here with 17,000 men,
His campaign was disastrous, the Irish routed them!
The Queen sent another - The Baron of Mountjoy,
To lead the English ranks, many Irish were to die.

The rebellion in Munster was put down with no great force,
Mountjoy was ruthless, he suffered no remorse.
He infiltrated Ulster and began a war of attrition,
Devastation of the land, civilian famine was his ambition.

The defense of Ulster became priority to O'Neil,
He still won many battles, thousands fell to Gaelic steel.
Spanish reinforcements landed at Kinsale's port,
Too far to make a difference they could offer no support.

He marched to meet the Spanish, who were held by Mountjoy's men,
Attacked by English cavalry - the Spanish surrendered then.
To Ulster they retreated but their campaign began to falter,
Mountjoy's tactics were superb, O'Neil had no answer.

O'Neil's men surrendered as famine gripped the land,
He received clemency when he relinquished his command.
little did he know, England was close to ruin,
The nine year war in Ireland almost brought them to their doom.