The Flight of the Earls: How Gaelic Ireland Lost Its Leaders

The History of Ireland: Rebellion, Empire, and Independence — Fexingo History · Jun 8, 2026 · 4m · transcript

In September 1607, Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and Rory O'Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell, boarded a ship at Rathmullan, County Donegal, and sailed into exile, never to return. Their departure — known as the Flight of the Earls — transformed Irish history, clearing the way for the Ulster Plantation and the collapse of the old Gaelic order. This episode traces the events leading to that fateful voyage: the aftermath of the Nine Years' War, the Treaty of Mellifont, O'Neill's uneasy submission to Lord Deputy Mountjoy, the discovery of the alleged conspiracy involving…