Oliver Cromwell Arrives in Ireland as Commander-in-Chief and Lord Lieutenant

Oliver Cromwell arrives in Ireland as Commander-in-Chief and Lord Lieutenant with an army of 20,000, a huge artillery train, and a large navy.

Cromwell landed at Ringsend, near Dublin, in August 1649, marking the beginning of one of the most brutal military campaigns in Irish history. His mission was to subdue the Irish Confederate and Royalist forces resisting Parliamentarian rule following the English Civil War.

Cromwell’s campaign was swift and ruthless, beginning with the infamous siege and massacre at Drogheda in September 1649, where thousands were killed after the town’s surrender. This set the tone for the rest of the conquest, with similar tactics employed in Wexford and beyond.

His arrival and subsequent actions left a lasting legacy of trauma and resentment in Ireland, and his name remains deeply controversial to this day.