to the Doonglebe/Tullygay Hill overlooking the pass at Scariffhollis, a strong defensive position west of Letterkenny on the River Swilly. When Myles MacSweeney took his regiment off to recapture his ancestral home at Doe Castle, it left the two armies roughly equal in number. However, Coote's men were well equipped veterans and he had three times the number of cavalry; when he appeared at Scariffhollis on 21 June, MacMahon's subordinates advised him not to risk battle. They argued Coote would soon be forced to retreat due to lack of provisions, allowing the Irish to withdraw into Connaught in good order. Battle For reasons that are still debated, MacMahon ignored this advice and on the morning of 21 June 1650 ordered his troops down from their mountain camp to give battle. Coote later reported that although the ground was still "excessive bad", it allowed him to use his cavalry, although the initial fighting was conducted by the opposing infantry. The Irish army was drawn up in a large mass formation with 200–300 musketeers in front, which may have been due to their shortage of ammunition. The battle began when Colonel Fenwick led a detachment of 150 men against the advance guard; after an exchange of fire, during which Fenwick was mortally wounded, it turned into a hand-to-hand struggle. As Coote fed in reinforcements, the Irish musketeers fell back on their main force, which had no room to manoeuvre and was now subjected to devastating volleys at close range. After an hour of bitter conflict, the Irish were out of ammunition and at this point the Parliamentarian cavalry charged their flank. Thrown into disarray, the Irish broke and ran. In most battles, flight was the point at which the defeated suffered the heaviest casualties, exacerbated by the lack of Irish cavalry and the brutal nature of the war. Most of the infantry died on the battlefield or in the pursuit that followed, including Henry Ó Néill and many officers, some of whom were killed after surrendering. Estimates of the Irish dead range from 2,000 – 3,000, while Coote lost around 100 killed or wounded. Aftermath MacMahon escaped with 200 horse but was captured a week later and executed. Phelim Ó Néill and O'Farrell made it to Charlemont, which was besieged by Coote and surrendered on 14 August. With the exception of a few scattered garrisons, this ended fighting in the north; Limerick