Ireton, Oliver Cromwells Son-in-Law, Lays Siege to Limerick City

1651 – Siege of Limerick

Henry Ireton, Oliver Cromwell’s son-in-law and second-in-command during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, laid siege to Limerick in June 1651, one of the last major strongholds of Irish Catholic and Royalist resistance.

The siege was long and brutal. Limerick’s defenders, led by Hugh Dubh O’Neill, held out for several months under relentless bombardment and deteriorating conditions. Disease and starvation became widespread within the city. Despite the fierce defense, Limerick surrendered in late October 1651.

Following the city’s fall, Ireton ordered the execution of several of the city’s leaders, including clergy and civic figures, accusing them of prolonging the resistance unnecessarily. Mere weeks after the surrender, Ireton himself succumbed to the plague, likely contracted during the siege, dying in November 1651.

Ireton’s death marked a symbolic turning point in the Cromwellian campaign, although the conquest of Ireland would continue under others.