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The
strategic importance of Derry, for English aspirations, is
implied in Queen Elizabeth's communication to the Earl of
Essex in 1599:
“How
often have you resolved us that until Lough Foyle
and Ballyshannon were planted there could be no hope
of doing service upon the capital rebels?”
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The capital
rebels referred to were the confederation of Irish chieftains,
primarily O'Neill and O'Donnell and the establishment of an
armed outpost at Derry was to be a means of prosecuting the
war from behind enemy lines.
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