Flight of the Earls

Not to be confused with theFlight of the Wild Geese.

Itinerary of the earls

TheFlight of the Earls(Irish:Imeacht na nIarlaí)took place in September 1607, whenHugh O'Neill,Earl ofTyrone,andRory O'Donnell,1st Earl ofTyrconnell,and about ninety followers, leftUlsterinIrelandformainland Europe.Their permanent exile was a watershed event in Irish history, symbolizingthe endofthe old Gaelic order.

Name

The Ulster aristocrats set sail fromRathmullan,on the shore ofLough Swilly.

The event was first named as a "flight" in a book by the ReverendC. P. Meehanthat was published in 1868.

Historians disagree to what extent the earls wanted to start a war with Spanish help to re-establish their positions, or whether they accepted exile as the best way of coping with their recent loss of status since theTreaty of Mellifontin 1603. Meehan argued that the earls' tenants wanted a new war: "Withal, the people of Ulster were full of hope that O'Neill would return with forces to evict the evictors, but the farther they advanced into this agreeable perspective, the more rapidly did its charms disappear."

Background to the exile

A bronze sculpture commemorating theFlightinRathmullan,County Donegal

After the defeat at theBattle of Kinsalein 1601,Hugh Roe O'Donnellof Tyrconnell traveled to Spain to seek support fromPhilip III.Unsuccessful, he died in Spain and was succeeded by his younger brotherRory O'Donnell.

The O'Neills and O'Donnells retained their lands and titles, although with much-diminished extent and authority. However, the countryside was laid bare in a campaign of destruction in 1602, which induced famine in 1603.Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone,was pardoned under the terms of theTreaty of Mellifontin March 1603 and submitted to the crown.

WhenKing James VI and Itook the English throne in 1603, he quickly proceeded to issue pardons for the Irish lords and their rebel forces. Already reigning as king of Scotland, he had a better understanding of the advantages from working with local chiefs in theScottish Highlands.However, as in other Irish lordships, the 1603 peace involved O'Neill losing substantial areas of land to his cousins and neighbors, who would begranted freeholdsunder the English system, instead of the looser arrangements under the formerBrehon lawsystem. This was not a new policy but was a well-understood and longstanding practice in theTudor conquest of Ireland.

On 10 September 1602, the Prince of Tyrconnell had already died, allegedly assassinated, in Spain, and his brother succeeded him as 25th Chieftain of the O'Donnell clan. He was later granted theEarldom of Tyrconnellby King James I on 4 September 1603 and restored to a somewhat diminished scale of territories inTyrconnellon 10 February 1604.

In 1605, the newLord Deputy of Ireland,Sir Arthur Chichester,began to encroach on the former freedoms of the two Earls andThe Maguire,enforcing the new freeholds, especially that granted in North Ulster to theO'Cahanchief. The O'Cahan had formerly been important subjects of the O'Neills and required protection; in turn, Chichester wanted to reduce O'Neill's authority. O'Cahan had also wanted to remove himself from O'Neill's overlordship. An option was to charge O'Neill with treason if he did not comply with the new arrangements. The discovery of theGunpowder Plotin the same year made it harder for Catholics to appear loyal to both the crown and the papacy. A lengthy legal battle however found in O'Neill's favor.

By 1607, O'Neill's allies theMaguiresand the Earl of Tyrconnell were finding it hard to maintain their prestige on lower incomes. They planned to seek Spanish support before news of theBattle of Gibraltararrived. When their ship dropped anchor, O'Neill seems to have joined them on impulse. He had three options:

• Flee with his friends and hope for a reinvasion by Spain
• Go to London and stay at court until his grievances were redressed
• Do nothing and live on a reduced income as a large landowner in Ulster.

Fearing arrest, they chose to flee toContinental Europe,where they hoped to recruit an army for the invasion of Ireland with Spanish help. However, earlier in 1607 the main Spanish fleet in Europe had been defeated by the Dutch in the Battle of Gibraltar. But the oft-repeated theory that they were all about to be arrested contradicts writerTadhg Ó Cianáin,the main historical source on the Flight, who said at the start of his account that O'Neill heard news of the ship anchored at Rathmullen on Thursday 6 September, and "took his leave of the Lord Justice (Chichester) the following Saturday". They had been meeting atSlanefor several days, and there is no proof that warrants for his arrest had been drawn up, nor was it a hurried departure.

Also, as theAnglo-Spanish War (1585–1604)had been ended by theTreaty of Londonin 1604, KingPhilip III of Spainwanted to remain at peace with England under its newStuartdynasty. As a part of the peace proposals, a Spanish princess was to marry James' son, Henry, though this never happened. Spain had also gone bankrupt in 1598. Tyrone ignored all these realities, remained in Italy, and persisted with his invasion plan until his death in exile in 1616.

End of the old Gaelic order

The earls left from the town ofRathmullanwith some of the leading Gaelic families in Ulster; they traveled downLough Swillyon a French ship. Their departure was the end of the old Gaelic order, in that the earls were descended from Gaelic clan dynasties that had ruled their parts of Ulster for centuries. The Flight of the Earls was a watershed event in Irish history, as the ancientGaelicaristocracyof Ulster went into permanent exile. Despite their attachment to and importance in the Gaelic system, the Earls' ancestors had accepted their Earldoms from the English-runKingdom of Irelandin the 1540s, under the policy ofsurrender and regrant.Some historians argue that their flight was forced upon them by the fallout from theTudor conquest of Ireland,while others that it was an enormous strategic mistake that cleared the way for thePlantation of Ulster.

From 1616, a number of bards outside Ulster had a poetic debate in the "Contention of the bards"and one of the arguments celebrated King James's Gaelic-IrishMilesianancestry throughMalcolm III of Scotland.So it is debatable whether the Gaelic order had ended or was evolving.

Journey

The Earls set sail fromRathmullan,a village on the shore ofLough SwillyinCounty Donegal,accompanied by ninety followers, many of themUlsternoblemen, and some members of their families. Several left their wives behind, hoping either to return or retrieve them later. The lateTomás Ó Fiaich,Archbishop of Armagh,gave a lecture at Rathmullan in September 1988 and recounted that the Earl of Tyrone allegedly “had a gold cross which contained a relic of theTrue Cross,and this he trailed in the water behind the ship, and according to O’Ciainain, it gave some relief from the storm” during the crossing toQuillebeuf-sur-SeineinNormandy,France. They finally reached the Continent on 4 October 1607.This supposed relic of the True Cross was probably a minor relic taken from that kept atHoly Cross Abbey,which they had previously visited en route toKinsalein 1601.

Their destination was Spain, but they disembarked in France.The party proceeded overland toSpanish Flanders,some remaining inLeuven,while the main party continued to Italy.Tadhg Ó Cianáin(sometimes quoted by historians as O'Keenan) subsequently described the journey in great detail. While the party was welcomed by many important officials in theSpanish Netherlands,he makes no mention of any negotiations or planning between the earls and the Spanish to start a new war to regain the earls' properties.

Ó Cianáin's diary is important as the only continuous and contemporaneous account of the Flight. Its original title,Turas na dTaoiseach nUltach as Éirinn– the departure of the Chiefs of Ulster from Ireland – has been changed since the creation of the more dramatic phrase "Flight of the Earls" to the latter's modern literal translation,Imeacht na nIarlaí;and, according toProfessor Ó Muraíle,turascan also mean a religiouspilgrimage.

Attainders

Arms of Earls of Tyrone and Tyrconnell

Arms of theÓ Néill

Arms of theÓ Domhnaill

King James issued "A Proclamation touching the Earles of Tyrone and Tyrconnell" on 15 November 1607, describing their action as treasonous, and therefore preparing the ground for the eventualforfeitureof their lands and titles.No reply that is known of was made to the proclamation

Their titles wereattaintedin 1614, although they continued to be recognized on the Continent. The attainders were not considered legitimate in continental Catholic countries of the day. Even within the context of English and colonial Irish rule, the attainder came about six years after Rory, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, had already died. As accused, for him to have been properly tried, he should have been tried by his peers in thePeerage of Ireland,under the presiding authority of theLord High Steward of Ireland.However, he was already dead, unable to stand in his own defense, and his title already inherited by his son Hugh “Albert” O'Donnell; therefore in order to attain the title, the trial would have to have been of Hugh “Albert”, who had in fact committed no crime. The 6-year delay in hearing the attainders was unavoidable, as his peers in theIrish House of Lordsnext sat in 1613, and dealt with the matter in the usual manner.

The attainder was however considered a travesty of justice by his supporters, and was considered null and void by many on the Continent. The succession of the Earl of Tyrconnell's son,Hugh Albert O'Donnell,as 2nd Earl of Tyrconnell (1st creation) was therefore recognized as valid in theSpanish Empire,and he was given the same status under a new Spanish titleCondede Tirconnel.

Under theCommon law,the title granted by King James and accepted by the earl had potentially lapsed as soon as the Earl embarked on the ship without his king's permission to leave Ireland, and when it lapsed it could not then pass down to his descendants without some special waiver. Assuming that Hugh Albert was being punished for a crime he did not commit, and was not being given a hearing, misses the whole point of the law of attainder. Hugh Albert was never issued aWrit of Summonsto sit in theIrish House of Lordsas his father's heir. Hugh Albert also never came to Dublin in 1614 to argue his case for a waiver, so far as is known, and never accepted James I as his king. Until he did so, his title and his claim to nobility were considered to be"in abeyance".

These attainders had a much greater impact on the people of Ulster. The 1603 peace arrangement with the three lords was ended, as they had broken its conditions by leaving the kingdom without permission, and their remaining freehold lands were confiscated. Chichester proposed a new plantation of settlers from England, Wales and Scotland, sponsored in part by theCity of London merchants,which became known as thePlantation of Ulster.This had an enormous negative impact on the lower class Gaelic-culture inhabitants of Ulster.

Change in Spanish policy

In thepapal bullIliusof 1555, the Pope had conferred the titleKing of IrelandonKing Philip II of Spainwhen he was married toQueen Mary.Philip II made no claim to the kingship of Ireland after Mary's death in 1558.He engaged in alengthy warfrom 1585 with her sisterElizabeth I,and he and his successorPhilip IIIsupported the Irish Catholic rebels up to thesiege of Kinsale in 1601.He had been offered the kingship in 1595 by O'Neill and his allies but turned it down. Given this lengthy support, it was reasonable for O'Donnell and O'Neill to imagine that they might solicit help from Philip III, but Spanish policy was to maintain the recent (1604)Treaty with England,and its European fleet had been weakened from several conflicts, including theBattle of Gibraltarby the Dutch over four months earlier.

Therefore, by mid-1607 Spain had neither the desire nor the means to assist an Irish rebellion. While the Flight is often described as a first step in arranging a new war, this must be seen as an emotional and false conclusion, as there were no plans or proposals at all from the Spanish side to support the earls. Spanish policy in the 1590s had been to help the Irish warlords as a nuisance against England, but they had been defeated by 1603. It could not be in any way in the interest of Spain to assist their unsuccessful former allies in 1607.

Commemoration on the 400th anniversary

President of IrelandMary McAleesearrives to unveil a statue depicting the Flight of the Earls atRathmullanon 4 September 2007.

The 400th anniversary of the Flight of the Earls was marked on 14 September 2007, throughout Donegal, including a regatta of tall ships, fireworks, lectures, and conferences. The President of IrelandMary McAleeseunveiled a statue byJohn Behandepicting the Flight atRathmullan.There is a permanent exhibition dedicated to the Flight of the Earls and the subsequent plantation inDraperstowninNorthern Irelandand at the "Flight of the Earls Centre" in theMartello towerat Rathmullan. There were also commemorative postage stamps issued by the Irish post office[1],featuring Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and Rory O'Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell, and based on original illustrations by Sean O Brogain, made as they were about to sail out of Rathmullan.

In 2008 there were also celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Earls in Rome, with a celebratory performance by theCross Border Orchestra of Irelandin Sant'Ignazio Church in Rome.

List of refugees

Tadhg Ó Cianáinkept a record of the refugees who participated in the flight.In 1972,Tomás Ó Fiaichand Pádraig de Barra publishedImeacht na nIarlaí,which expanded the list of refugees based on extensive research.

Ship's Crew

• John Connor, captain
• John Rath, pilot

O'Neill Clan

Family

• Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone
  • Catherine O'Neill, Countess of Tyrone,his wife
  • Hugh O'Neill, Baron Dungannon,his son
  • Shane O'Neill,his son
  • Brian O'Neill,his son
• Art Óg O'Neill
  • His wife
• Brian O'Neill, Hugh O'Neill’s nephew
• Feardorcha, Hugh O'Neill’s grandson
• Aodh Óg, Hugh O'Neill’s grand-nephew
• Maigbheathadh Ó Néill
• Aodh Mac Éinrí Ó Néill

Staff

• Henry Hovenden,secretary (also O'Neill's foster-brother)
• Pedro Blanco,footman
• Muirchearttach Ó Cionne, marshall
• Christopher Plunkett, master of horse
• Colmán, priest
• Hugh O'Neill’s page
• 2 lackies of O'Neill
• Seán na bpunta Ó hÁgáin, rent collector
  • His wife
  • Enri Ó hAgáin, possibly a relative

O'Donnell Clan

Family

• Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell,
  • Hugh Albert O'Donnell, 2nd Earl of Tyrconnell,his son,
• Cathbarr O'Donnell
  • Rosa O'Donnell,his wife
  • Hugh O'Donnell, his son
• Nuala O'Donnell
  • Grania O'Donnell, her daughter,
• Domhnall Óg,son of Rory's half-brotherDonal
• Nechtain O'Donnell, Rory's second cousin

Staff

• Seán Crón MacDaibhid, steward
• Mathew Tullie, secretary
• Caecilia O'Gallagher, Hugh Albert O'Donnell's wet nurse
• Muiris, page
• 4 servants of O'Donnell’s
• 3 lackies of O'Donnell’s
• 3 waiting women

Other

Nobles

• Sémus Mac Éimhir MacConnell, son of theLord of Fermanagh
  • His brother

Clergymen

• Fr. Muiris Ultach, a Franciscan friar
• Fr. Roibeard Mac Artúir (or Chamberlain)
• Fr. Tomás Strong
• Fr. Pádraig Ó Duibh
• Fr. Pádraig Ó Lorcáin
• Fr. Pádraig Ó Luchráin
• Fr. Niallán Mac Thiarnáin
• Fr. Toirealach Ó Sléibhín
• Fr. Brian Ó Gormlaigh
• Fr.Flaithrí Ó Maolchonaire
• Fr Diarmaid Ó Duláin

Students

• Pádraig Mac Éinrí Ó hÁgáin
• Pádraig Mac Cormaic Ó hÁigáin
• Éamann Ó Maolchraoibhe
• Fearghas mac Cathmhaoil
• Matha Mac Thréanfhir
• Walter Rath

Merchants

• Richard Weston ofDundalk
• John Bath ofDrogheda

Other

• Eamonn gruamdha MacDaibhid
  • MacDaibhid's wife
• Aodh Mac Domhnaill Ó Gallchobhair
• Tirlagh Carragh Ó Gallchobhair
• Edmund Breatnach
• Henry O’Kelly
• George Cashell
• Tadhg Ó Cianáin,writer
• Cúchonnacht Maguidhir
• Donnchadh Ó Briain
• James Bath
• Donnachadh Mac Suibhne
• Gearóid Ó Conchubhair
• Cyer Mac Tamalin
• David Craffort
• George Ichingham
• Donncha Ó hÁgáin
• Pádraig Ó Coinne
• George Moore
• Peter Preston
• Patrick Rath
• Pádraig Mag Uidhir
• Edmund de Burgo
• Cathaoir Mac Airt Ó Gallchóir
• Tuathal Ó Gallchóir
• Aodh Óg Ó Gallchóir
• Eoghan Rua Mac an Bhaird
• Seán Mac Philib
• Aonghus Mac Dhuifíthe
• Uilliam Ó Loingsigh
• Cathal Ó Broin
• Bernard Morris
• Niallan Mac Davitt
• Conchbhar Óg Ó Dubheannaigh
• Donnchadh Coughlan
• Dermot Dolan
• Brian O’Hegarty
• Doighre Ó Duígeannáin

See also

• Tudor conquest of Ireland
• Contention of the bards
• O'Cahan
• Tadhg Ó Cianáin
• "The Hunting of the Earl of Rone"
• Regiment of Hibernia

External links

• "Stamps commemorate flight of the earls", The Irish Times, Feb 23, 2007,

Further reading

• Turas na dTaoiseach nUltach as Éirinn from Ráth Maoláin to Rome:Tadhg O Cianáin's contemporary narrative of the so-called ‘Flight of the Earls’, 1607–8,Nollaig Ó Muraíle,Four Courts Press, Dublin, October 2007
• The Flight of the Earls, An Illustrated History,2007, by Dr. John McCavitt FRHistS.
• The Life of Hugh Roe O'Donnell, Prince of Tyrconnell (Beatha Aodh Ruadh O Domhnaill)byLughaidh Ó Cléirigh.Edited by Paul Walsh and Colm Ó Lochlainn. Irish Texts Society, vol. 42. Dublin: Educational Company of Ireland, 1948 (original Gaelic manuscript in the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin).
• Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland (Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) by the Four Masters,from the earliest period to the year 1616, compiled during the period 1632–1636 by Brother Michael O’Clery, translated and edited by John O'Donovan in 1856, and re-published in 1998 by De Burca, Dublin.
• Vicissitudes of Families,by Sir Bernard Burke, Ulster King of Arms, published by Longman, Green, Longman and Roberts, Paternoster Row, London, 1861. (Chapter on O’Donnells, pp. 125–148).
• The Fate and Fortunes of the Earls of Tyrone (Hugh O’Neill) and Tyrconnel (Rory O’Donel), their flight from Ireland and death in exile,by the Rev.C. P. Meehan,M.R.I.A., 2nd edition, James Duffy, London, 1870.
• The O’Donnells of Tyrconnell – A Hidden Legacy,byFrancis Martin O'Donnell,published byAcademica PressLLC inLondonandWashington, D.C.,2018, (750 pp.) (ISBN978-1-680534740).
• Vanishing Kingdoms – The Irish Chiefs and Their Families,by Walter J. P. Curley (former US Ambassador to Ireland), with foreword byCharles Lysaght,published by The Lilliput Press, Dublin, 2004 [ISBN1-84351-055-3&ISBN1-84351-056-1]. (Chapter on O'Donnell of Tyrconnell, p. 59).
• A View of the Legal Institutions, Honorary Hereditary Offices, and Feudal Baronies established in Ireland,by William Lynch, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, published by Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, Paternoster Row, London, 1830 (O’Donnell: p. 190, remainder to Earl's patent).
• https://celt.ucc.ie/published/T100070.html
• https:// forgottenbooks /de/download/TheFlightoftheEarls_10554842.pdf

External links

• Earls Heritage Centre, Rathmullan, County Donegal
• Wild Geese Heritage Museum and Library
• The Flight of the Earls: escape or strategic regrouping?atHistory Ireland
• Mural depicting Flight of the Earls, Belfast
• Yearlong Commemoration of Flight of the Earls (1607–2007)2007 – Donegal County Council/County Development Board
• The Flight Of The EarlsDr John McCavitt FRHistS
• Information on the Flight of the Earls
• BBC History article
• The National Library of Ireland's current exhibition,Strangers to Citizens: the Irish in Europe, 1600–1800
• Flight of the Earls?: changing views on O’Neill's departure from Ireland