The Flight of the Earls
On September 4, 1607 (Old Style calendar), Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and Rory O'Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell, along with about ninety other Gaelic Irish nobles and their followers, sailed from Lough Swilly in County Donegal. This event, known as the Flight of the Earls, marked a pivotal moment in Irish history, signaling the end of Gaelic Ireland and paving the way for the Plantation of Ulster. The earls sought support in Catholic Europe against English rule, but never returned to Ireland. Their departure removed the last significant obstacles to English control over the entire island.
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