Editing Irish Confederate Wars (section)

===The Cromwellian Conquest===
His first action was to secure the east coast of Ireland for supplies of men and logistics from England. To this end, he [[siege of Drogheda|took Drogheda]] and [[Sack of Wexford|Wexford]], perpetrating massacres of the defenders of both towns.<ref name="autogenerated2">Kenyon & Ohlmeyer, p. 98.</ref><ref>Fraser, Antonia (1973). ''Cromwell, Our Chief of Men,'' and ''Cromwell: the Lord Protector'' (Phoenix Press), {{ISBN|0-7538-1331-9}} pp. 344–46.</ref> He also sent a force to the north to link up with the British settler army there. Those settlers who supported the Scots and Royalists were defeated by the Parliamentarians at the [[battle of Lisnagarvey]].

Ormonde signally failed to mount a military defence of southern Ireland. He based his defences upon walled towns, which Cromwell systematically took one after the other with his ample supply of siege artillery. The Irish and Royalist field armies did not hold any strategic line of defence and instead were demoralised by a constant stream of defeats and withdrawals. Only at the [[siege of Clonmel]] did Cromwell suffer significant casualties (although disease also took a very heavy toll on his men). His losses were made good by the defection of the Royalist garrison of Cork, who had been Parliamentarians up to 1648, back to the Parliament side. Cromwell returned to England in 1650, passing his command to [[Henry Ireton]].

In the north, the Parliamentarian/settler army met the Irish Ulster army at the [[battle of Scarrifholis]] and destroyed it. Ormonde was discredited and fled for France, to be replaced by Ulick Burke, Earl of [[Clanricarde]]. By 1651, the remaining Royalist/Irish forces were hemmed into an area west of the [[River Shannon]], holding only the fortified cities of [[Limerick]] and [[Galway]] and an enclave in [[County Kerry]], under [[Donagh MacCarthy, Viscount Muskerry]].

Ireton [[Siege of Limerick (1650–51)|besieged Limerick]] while the northern Parliamentarian army under [[Charles Coote, 1st Earl of Mountrath|Charles Coote]] [[Siege of Galway|besieged Galway]]. Muskerry made an attempt to relieve Limerick, marching north from Kerry, and was routed by [[Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery|Roger Boyle]] at the [[battle of Knocknaclashy]]. Limerick and Galway were too well defended to be taken by storm, and were blockaded until hunger and disease forced them to surrender, Limerick in 1651, Galway in 1652. [[Waterford]] and [[Duncannon]] also surrendered in 1651.