Lord Mountcashel: Irish General: Justin MacCarthy in the Service of James II and Louis XIV, 1673-1694 by D.P. Graham - 2018

Pen and Sword, 2018. Hardbound. New Book. Hardbound. While researching the Battle of Newtownbutler, Graham became fascinated with Justin MacCarthy (1638-94), the Lord of Mountcashel. He found his story as complex and ironic as the period of Irish and England history of that time. MacCarthy was a Jacobite general in the Williamite War in Ireland and a personal friend of James II. Graham examines his life before and after the battle, in the context of the larger war of the time, Irish and European politics, and his relative success as a soldier and commander. Considered one of the finest soldiers of the time, he died of wounds received during different engagements on July 1, 1694. Irish history has been critical of the general’s contribution even though he was recognized as a more-than-competent officer and general and had, for the most part, made the correct political moves. He also demonstrated qualities that many officers of his time lacked, the ability to understand his men and the nature of disciplined soldiery. His French victories showed that he was persistent, enterprising and led from the front, thus the many wounds. Graham portrays MacCarthy as the kind of person who, though betrayed and defeated, would be able to rise above the odds stacked against him and retain a sense of patriotic duty in a desperate situation when his cause was all but doomed. Distributed in the US by Casemate. (2018 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR)