Battle of Rathangan
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| Battle of Rathangan | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the United Irishmen Rebellion | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Ireland (Nationalist) |
 Great Britain Irish loyalists | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Captain Doorley |
Captain James Spencer Lieutenant-Colonel Stephen Mahon | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 300 killed[1] | 3–20 killed[1] | ||||||
The Battle of Rathangan was a military engagement between the forces of the British Crown and the United Irishmen during the 1798 rebellion.
On 24 May 1798 a group of rebels from the United Irishmen led by a Captain Doorley attacked the town of Rathangan, County Kildare, which was being defended by a small corps of yeomanry led by Captain James Spencer; the rebels held the town for four days.[2] On 28 May 1798 two squadrons of the 7th Dragoon Guards were sent to re-capture the town. The commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Stephen Mahon, took one squadron into the town while the other waited outside. A pitched battle then took place with heavy losses on both sides.[1]
