This was a major help to Oliver Cromwell's campaign in Ireland, as it secured for him most of Munster and its port towns.
The Irish and Royalist troops in the province retreated to western County Kerry, which is a natural stronghold due to its remote and mountainous terrain.
[citation needed] David Roche, an Irish officer, organised an offensive, out of Kerry with 1,400 men in May 1650, in an effort to relieve the Siege of Clonmel.
The English surprised the Irish with a cavalry charge before they could form up for battle and routed them.
His men had taken Boetius MacEgan, the Catholic Bishop of Ross, prisoner and warned the garrison that they would kill him unless they surrendered.