13 December, 2017

the Flight of the Earls

I came across this disk when I was walking one day in Killybegs.  It was located just off the main street.  It commemorates the 400th anniversary of Flight of the Earls in 1607.


The Flight of the Earls 1607
Rathmullan, Co Donegal, September 14th 1607

The small fishing town of Rathmullan in County Donegal witnessed a key event in Irish history - the end of the old Gaelic order. From this spot in 1607 a small ship left for Spain. On board were the chieftains of some of the leading Gaelic families of Ulster, including the O'Donnells and the O'Neills. Those chieftains who could not live with the new English order sought refuge with England's main enemy, with the hope either of making a new life for themselves, or of living to fight another day. How did they come to be here, and why did they leave?

In one final attempt by the old order to reverse the tide of English power a decade or so earlier, an army was organised by Hugh O'Neill, chief of Tir Eoghain, and Red Hugh O'Donnell, chief of Donegal. They began a series of battles with the English which came to be known as the Nine Years War. After strenuous efforts on their part, the Gaelic chieftains secured a promise of support from the leading continental power of the day, Spain. To meet up with the Spanish army, however, O'Neill's and O'Donnell's force had to march the length of the country to Kinsale on the south coast. There they fought and lost the landmark Battle of Kinsale, which ended the old Gaelic political and cultural system. Red Hugh made his way to Spain to try to inject new life into the alliance but died in the Castle of Simanacas a little over a year after Kinsale. He was succeeded as chieftain by his brother Rory.

Info courtesy of Ask All About Ireland website
Linking up with Signs2

26 comments:

  1. I like what I am seeing and I found the history behind it intriguing.

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  2. Interesting sign with an interesting history.

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  3. I did not know about this flight. Checked wikipedia for further info. Thanks, Bill.

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  4. Thank you for sharing the pic of the disk and the fascinating history. I enjoyed your post.

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  5. ...It pays to have your eyes on the outlook for interesting things.

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  6. Afraid England has a lot to answer for in the past

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  7. So much history encompassed in that round disk on the side of the road.. well spotted Bill!

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  8. Interesting that it is commemorated on a drainage cover! Still, it makes it nicer to look at!

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  9. Hi Bill.

    Beautiful historic lid Bill
    Nice the explanation.

    Groettie from Patricia.

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  10. A little bit of history that I knew nothing about. Thanks for the information.

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  11. Wow History--one of my favorite subjects----Thank you. This history is not learned in American schools. The grade school I went to was the Mother House for the Oblates of Ireland. Neat guys
    MB

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  12. Thanks for sharing the history, Bill. Fascinating!

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  13. I didn't know about this either. Quite a way to mark it.

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  14. What a great find and such an interesting meaning behind it!

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  15. There is so much history in Ireland! Thanks for this lesson, Bill!

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  16. What a wonderful way to commemorate the event, Bill. Thanks for the story!

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  17. Interesting history! I'd be surprised to find something commemorating such an ancient event...but U.S. West Coast (non-native) history is very brief compared to so many other places.

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  18. An interesting history summary!

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  19. I love interesting manhole covers and photograph them whenever I come across them. This is a winner.

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  20. Nice design. Thanks for the interesting story.

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  21. So much fascinating history in Ireland. Nice you found the commemorative disc.
    MB

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