Flight of the earls - Definition

In September 1607, Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone and Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell set sail from Rathmullan on Lough Swilly in County Donegal with ninety of their followers. Their intended destination was Spain, but they disembarked in France and proceeded overland to Italy. They never returned to Ireland. This event, the Flight of the Earls, marked the final destruction of Ireland's ancient Gaelic aristocracy and paved the way for the Plantation of Ulster.

There is a permanent exhibition dedicated to the Flight of the Earls and the subsequent Plantation in Draperstown in Northern Ireland and a Flight of the Earls Centre at the Martello Tower in Rathmullan.

External links

• The Flight Of The Earls - By Dr John McCavitt FRHistS (http://www.theflightoftheearls.net/)
• Information on the Flight of the Earls (http://www.irelandseye.com/aarticles/history/events/dates/earls.shtm)
• The Flight of the Earls Experience (http://www.theflightoftheearlsexperience.com/)