On June 5, 1646, on a hillside overlooking the River Blackwater in County Armagh, Owen Roe O’Neill achieved military perfection. In one afternoon of brilliant tactical execution, his 5,000 Irish soldiers destroyed a 6,000-strong Scottish Covenanter army so completely that only 70 Irish died while over 3,000 Scots were killed. The Battle of Benburb stands as Ireland’s most decisive military victory of the 17th century—a masterclass in warfare that military historians still study today. Yet this perfect battle changed nothing. Political division squandered the victory, and within three years, Owen Roe was dead and Ireland was conquered by Cromwell.
This is the complete story of Owen Roe O’Neill, the Irish commander who spent 30 years learning the art of war in Europe’s deadliest battlefields before returning home to lead his people. Discover how a young warrior who fought in the Nine Years War became a professional officer in the Spanish Army of Flanders, mastering siege warfare, pike and shot tactics, and cavalry operations alongside Europe’s finest soldiers. Learn why he left a successful military career to return to an Ireland torn apart by the Confederate Wars.
Experience the impossible tactical brilliance of Benburb—how Owen Roe selected perfect defensive ground, deployed his forces with precision, held firm against the Scottish assault, and then unleashed a devastating cavalry charge that destroyed the enemy army in minutes. Understand the military genius behind the 70 versus 3,000 casualty ratio that makes this one of history’s most one-sided battles. This wasn’t luck or ambush—this was professional military excellence applied with surgical precision.
But this documentary also reveals the tragedy. Despite achieving the greatest Irish military victory in living memory, Owen Roe received no support for follow-up campaigns. The Irish Catholic Confederation was paralyzed by political infighting between Old English Catholics wanting negotiated peace and native Irish seeking full independence. The Supreme Council in Kilkenny refused to supply Owen Roe’s army, allowing the strategic advantage from Benburb to evaporate while politicians debated.
Learn about the complex Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s, when Ireland became a battlefield for conflicts involving King Charles I, English Parliament, Scottish Covenanters, and Irish Catholics fighting for survival. Understand how religious warfare, land confiscation, and competing loyalties tore Ireland apart. See how General Robert Monro’s confident Scottish army marched toward what they thought would be easy victory, only to be destroyed by superior tactics and training.
Discover Owen Roe’s final years—his frustration as political division wasted Benburb’s potential, his preparations to face Oliver Cromwell’s invasion in 1649, and his untimely death just before the crucial confrontation that might have changed Irish history. Explore the what-ifs: could Owen Roe’s tactical genius have defeated Cromwell? How might Irish history have changed if the Confederation had unified behind their greatest military commander?
This comprehensive documentary examines every aspect of Owen Roe’s life and his masterpiece battle. From his exile following the Flight of the Earls in 1607 to his three decades in Spanish service, from his return to Ireland in 1642 to the training regimen that transformed Irish fighters into disciplined European-style infantry. Experience the Battle of Benburb through detailed tactical analysis—the night march to secure the hilltop, the perfect defensive deployment, the disciplined musket volleys, the pike formations holding firm, and the perfectly timed cavalry charge that shattered the Scottish army.
Whether you’re fascinated by military history, interested in tactical brilliance, or want to understand Ireland’s struggles during the 17th century, this video delivers an epic narrative backed by historical research. The story of Owen Roe O’Neill reminds us that military genius without political unity achieves nothing—and that some of history’s greatest victories become tragedies when opportunity is wasted.
Credit to : Irish History