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

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 Spanish support, and the desperate decision to flee. We examine the evidence for and against the conspiracy theory, the Earls' lives in Rome, and the legacy of their exile for Irish nationalism. Featuring Hugh O'Neill, Rory O'Donnell, Lord Deputy Mountjoy, James I, the Treaty of Mellifont, and the Spanish Habsburgs. #FlightOfTheEarls #HughONeill #RoryODonnell #NineYearsWar #TreatyOfMellifont #UlsterPlantation #Rathmullan #JamesI #LordDeputyMountjoy #GaelicIreland #IrishExile #SpanishHabsburgs #Rome #StPeter #1607 #IrishHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo