Guth Gafa Documentary Festival 2008

Imeacht na nIarlaí
Ireland, 2007, 52 min
Director: Paul Larkin

Sun 18th • Óstán Loch Altan • 2:15pm

The Flight of the Earls in 1607 is an emotional landmark and crucial turning point in Irish history, which traditionally marks the end of the Gaelic Order in Ireland. The exile of so many Northern Gaelic families in 1607 enabled one of the most politically significant migrations to take place in early modern Europe - The Plantation of Ulster, which changed the country forever.
On the 14th September 1607, Hugh Ó Neill, Earl of Tyrone, one of Ireland's most charismatic political leaders who led the nine years war against England, along with most of Ulster's political elite and their families, left Donegal on a ship bound for Europe. Little did they think in their journey across Europe that they would never see Ireland again, and would end their days in Rome.
This documentary focuses on the reasons for the 'flight', the journey across Europe, and the period of exile of Hugh O Neill in Rome.