Flight of the Earls 400

The 400th anniversary of the Flight of the Earls in 2007 is rapidly approaching. A defining moment in Irish history for ‘native’ and ‘planter’ alike, the quartercentenary affords an opportunity for reflection. Historical societies are already considering tentative plans to mark this event while behind the scenes efforts are underway to co-ordinate commemorations on a grander scale.

Based on twenty years of research which produced two books and numerous articles (see summary and reviews of The Flight of the Earls and other publications) about the two key figures on the Irish and English side at the time of the Flight of the Earls - the earl of Tyrone and Sir Arthur Chichester - this website offers an overview of the key personalities and events, covering developments that both preceded and proceeded from the Flight of the Earls. By way of recreating the atmosphere in which the Flight took place transcripts of a number of key primary historical documents have been posted, including several that recount the earl of Tyrone’s elopement with Mabel Bagenal, the so-called Helen of Troy of the era. Tadgh Ó Cianain’s eyewitness account of the earls’ dramatic escape is an epic in itself, the ship almost floundering on several occasions before landfall was made in France, with but one barrel of water left for the ship’s famous complement of Ninety Nine. A series of maps illustrate the rollercoaster journey undertaken by the earls through Ireland and subsequently from France to Rome. Included also are rubbings (and translations) of the tombstones in Rome of the earl of Tyrconnell and Hugh O’Neill, baron of Dungannon, son of the earl of Tyrone.

Rathmullan to Rome

The earls' route from Ireland to Rome (Map courtesy of Gill & Macmillan, publishers of The Flight of the Earls, by John McCavitt)

Mortal Enemies

A personal vendetta pursued by Sir Arthur Chichester towards the earl of Tyrone fuelled the controversial circumstances preceding the Flight of the Earls. The earl of Tyrone's forces had killed Chichester's brother during the Nine Years War, Sir Arthur Chichester vowing to wreak personal revenge by beheading Tyrone. While the war ended in 1603, the bitter rivalry between Tyrone and Chichester was rekindled when Sir Arthur Chichester was appointed lord deputy of Ireland in 1605.


Earl of Tyrone and Sir Arthur Chichester

Perhaps the most important aspect of the Flight of the Earls for people of Irish descent, and for countries that the Irish migrated to, is that the Flight effectively inaugurated the Irish diaspora. The early seventeenth century witnessed Irish men and women dispersed as far afield as the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Newfoundland, even the Amazon (O'Briens). As a direct result of the Flight, Irish soldiers, the original ‘wild geese’, saw service in Sweden, Denmark, Poland and Russia.

Overall, the story of the Flight of the Earls is a tale of epic proportions, an enthralling and momentous episode in the history of Ireland and the wider world that has lost none of its drama and appeal in the passage of time.

(The dramatic nature of the Flight of the Earls has generated a considerable body of Music and Poems)