The Flight of the Earls: End of Gaelic Ulster 1607

The History of Ireland: Rebellion, Empire, and Independence — Fexingo History · Jun 21, 2026 · 5m · transcript

In September 1607, Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and Rory O'Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell, boarded a ship at Rathmullan on Lough Swilly and sailed into exile, never to return. Their departure — known as the Flight of the Earls — marked the final collapse of the Gaelic order in Ulster and opened the door for the Plantation of Ulster. This episode traces the events leading up to that decision: the aftermath of the Nine Years' War, the Treaty of Mellifont (1603), the erosion of the earls' power under Lord Deputy Arthur Chichester, the discovery of the alleged 'Spanish…