An Cosantóir November / December 2025 www.military.ie/magazine
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An Cosantóir November / December 2025 www.military.ie/magazine
A Soldier of Ireland and Europe
F
ew names in Irish military history inspire as much
admiration as Patrick Sarsfield, Earl of Lucan. His defiance
during the Williamite Wars and his leadership at Limerick
made him a symbol of Irish courage and loyalty.
During the Williamite-Jacobite War from 1689 to 1691 Sarsfield
rose through King James II's Jacobite army and became
famed for his daring raid on William of Orange's siege train
at Ballyneety in 1690, an operation that contributed to save
Limerick from capture.
Two years later he negotiated the Treaty of Limerick, allowing Irish
troops to depart honourably for France. Around 12,000 soldiers
and families followed him in the Flight of the Wild Geese, forming
the Irish Brigades in French service. For the Defence Forces today,
this legacy remains central to our European heritage: Ireland's
service abroad began long before the modern era.
From Limerick to Landen
In 1693, Sarsfield served as Maréchal de Camp (Major General)
under the Duke of Luxembourg at the Battle of Landen
(Neerwinden) in present-day Belgium. Sarsfield led his cavalry
through heavy fire while covering the French advance. Sarsfield was
gravely wounded and in the following days was evacuated along
with thousands of other wounded to the town of Huy, 32km south
of Landen.
"Sarsfield's story reminds us that loyalty, leadership, and service
beyond borders are values still lived by Irish soldiers today." — Gen
Seán Clancy, CEUMC
Legend long held that he died on the battlefield, uttering the
romantic last words "Oh that this were for Ireland." Yet nineteenth-
century poets, not eyewitnesses, created that line. The truth,
rediscovered through painstaking research, shows Sarsfield died
nearly two weeks later in Huy and was laid to rest there.
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FINDING THE
HERO OF THE
WILD GEESE
BY LT COL CONOR GOREY
IMAGES COURTESY OF THE SARSFIELD HOMECOMING PROJECT/ DR LOÏC GUYON
PATRICK
SARSFIELD
PATRICK
SARSFIELD
