Kerns were apprentice warriors. They learned their trade by following the example of the gallowglass.

The only reason "Bonnought" was found in a search was this thread, is because it is misspelled. Correct spelling is in MartinRyan's post above.

The weakness to this system was the lack of unit cohesion. It more closely followed traditional warfare of Ireland and Scotland where maneuver was not a strong point. It relied on the professionals (gallowglass and bonnaught) to break through the opposing line, thus allowing the kerns to exploit the break. This worked very well in some situations, but trained troops capable of holding their ground had the edge in open field combat situations.

Logically speaking, if a bonnaught was NOT a warrior, why in heaven's name would they join the gallowglass to "throng from each mountain pass"?

Regards -

Pete