Their defeat at the Battle of the Boyne on 1 July 1690 saw their forces make a disorderly retreat from the eastern part of the country and abandon the capital, Dublin, in the process.

The Irish Jacobites still in the field found themselves in the same position as the Catholic Confederates of a generation before in holding an enclave behind the River Shannon, based on the cities of Limerick and Galway.

The Jacobite French commander, Lauzun, also wanted to surrender, expressed his dismay at the state of Limerick's fortifications and said that they could be "knocked down by roasted apples".

Lauzun's deputy, Marquis de Boisseleau, backed the hardliners in their attempts to defend the city and oversaw improvements to Limerick's defences.

[1] That meant that William had to wait another ten days before he could start bombarding Limerick in earnest while another siege train was brought up from Waterford.

The breach was stormed by Danish grenadiers, but the Boisseleau had built an earthwork, or coupure, inside the walls and had erected barricades in the streets, impeding the attackers.

Jacobite soldiers without arms and the civilian population (including, famously, the women) lined the walls and threw stones and bottles at the attackers.

After the loss of the last major stronghold, Patrick Sarsfield led the army into exile in the Flight of the Wild Geese to the Continent, where they continued to serve the cause of James and his successors.