Battle of Vinegar Hill 1798
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Marker: recorded battle location (no official boundary).
Key facts
| Date (year) | 1798 | Wikidata P585 point in time |
|---|---|---|
| Century | 18th century | derived |
| Period | Jacobite & later | derived |
| Country | Ireland | derived |
| War / conflict | Irish Rebellion of 1798 | Wikidata |
About the battle
The Battle of Vinegar Hill (Irish: Cath Chnoc Fhíodh na gCaor) was a military engagement during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on 21 June 1798 between a force of approximately 13,000 government troops under the command of Gerard Lake and 16,000 United Irishmen rebels led by Anthony Perry. The battle, a major rebel defeat, took place on a large rebel camp on Vinegar Hill and in the streets of Enniscorthy, County Wexford and marked the last major attempt by the rebels to hold and control territory taken in Wexford.
Visiting the battlefield
The Battle of Vinegar Hill is commemorated annually in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, through pageants, re-enactments, and public ceremonies that honour the participants in the 1798 Rebellion. The battle has also been preserved in regional folklore. One example concerns Wiggy Hourigan of Murroe, County Limerick, who is said to have fought at Vinegar Hill, lost his horse during the engagement, and escaped by taking the mount of a Hessian officer. His story, recorded in Hourigan family accounts, reflects the persistence of the event in Irish oral and local historical traditions.
Location
- Recorded location (Wikidata; may be approximate): 52.5014, -6.5697
Battlefields are often on private farmland: please keep to public rights of way and respect landowners.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Vinegar Hill (revision 1379134391), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Commemoration”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations removed. No text added.
Battle location from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby battlefields
- Battle of Enniscorthy 1798 · 0 km
- Battle of Oulart Hill 1798 · 12 km
- Battle of Three Rocks 1798 · 19 km
- Battle of New Ross 1643 · 20 km
- Battle of New Ross 1798 · 28 km
- Battle of Arklow 1649 · 42 km
Other battles of the Irish Rebellion of 1798
- Battle of Antrim 1798
- Battle of Arklow 1798
- Battle of Ballinamuck 1798
- Battle of Ballynahinch 1798
- Battle of Carlow 1798
- Battle of Castlebar 1798
- Battle of Collooney 1798
- Battle of Enniscorthy 1798
- Battle of Killala 1798
- Battle of New Ross 1798
All battles of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 →
Browse more: battles in Ireland · Jacobite & later · 18th century battles