dealing with the depredations of Shane O'Neill in Ulster. In 1567, Sidney headed south and attempted to broker peace between Desmond and Ormand. He brought Desmond a prisoner to Dublin, leaving Desmond's brother, John FitzJames FitzGerald, to govern Munster in the Earl's absence. Consequences Elizabeth I of England was furious that two noble houses had fought a private battle, defying the authority she claimed over the Kingdom of Ireland. The fact that both sides had displayed their banners in the battle was a particular affront to her – it was a symbolic rejection of the monopoly of the crown on making war. (In the same year the Battle of Glentaisie was fought in Ulster, also a private battle.) Both earls were summoned to London to explain their actions. However, the treatment of the dynasties was not even-handed: the Earl of Ormonde, a cousin of the Queen's and a court favourite, convinced Elizabeth that it was Desmond who was at fault. As a result, both Desmond (who had been brought before the privy council on a litter) and his brothers, Seán and James, were arrested and detained in the Tower of London; it was seven years before the earl returned to Munster with his wife, Eleanor. This action contributed significantly to unrest in the province of Munster and ultimately led to the first of the Desmond Rebellions in 1569. References Sources Lennon, Colm. Sixteenth Century Ireland – The Incomplete Conquest. Gill & Macmillan, Dublin 1994. Cyril Falls. Elizabeth's Irish Wars (1950; reprint London, 1996). . Cultural references Dance composed to commemorate the battle. 1565 in Ireland Affane 1565 Affane FitzGerald dynasty Affane Affane