Siege of Donegal

The Siege of Donegal took place in 1601 during Tyrone's Rebellion when a force led by Hugh Roe O'Donnell laid siege to the settlement of Donegal. The garrison of the town were a mixture of Irish Army troops and Gaelic forces loyal to the Crown led by Niall Garve O'Donnell. Heavy fighting took place during the month-long siege in which Donegal Abbey was wrecked by an accidental gunpower explosion. Having suffered several repulses Hugh Roe O'Donnell abandoned the siege and moved his army southwards to Munster to take part in the Battle of Kinsale. In his absence Crown forces were able to use Donegal as a base to capture the strategic town of Ballyshannon.