King William III arriving off Carrickfergus, Ulster, 14 June 1690, at the start of his Irish Campaign

As a result of the so-called 'Glorious Revolution', the Catholic King James II fled England for exile in France in December 1688. Supported by French arms and money, James took his cause to Ireland the next year and, having landed at Kinsale on 12 March 1689, entered Dublin in triumph two weeks later. The speed with which the ensuing rebellion spread throughout Ireland alarmed not only the new King - William III - but also the entire Protestant establishment in England and it soon became apparent that a sizeable army would be needed to put down the insurrection. It was a year before such a force could be raised but once it was ready to depart for Ireland, a naval squadron under the command of Rear-Admiral Sir Cloudisley Shovell was detached from the fleet to transport it. With the King himself in overall command, the flotilla arrived off Carrickfergus on 14 June 1690 where it disembarked to a warm welcome from the town's inhabitants. Barely a fortnight later, on 1 July, William decisively defeated James's army at the Battle of the Boyne.