Flight of the Earl's Anniversary Commemorations Launched

Commemorations of the fourth centenary of the Flight of the Earls were launched last Tuesday in Co. Donegal, signalling the beginning of a major initiative to remember the event.

The launch of the initiative, named "The Return of the Earls by the Borough Dungannon and South Tyrone council in Northern Ireland, was formally launched at an information day in Letterkenny, facilitated by Dr. John McCavitt, a leading expert on the event.

Activities are to take place in Donegal throughout 2007.

These activities include;

• A major historical exhibition that is to include archives and artifacts on loan from both national and international institutions. A series of lectures will be run in conjunction with these exhibitions.
• Events, readings, lectures and special children's activities including a series of History
• Live workshops are to be run throughout the 17 libraries throughout Donegal.
• A major outdoor arts event based around the Flight of the Earls is proposed for Rathmullen with community groups, schools and local artists working together on the production and performance of a commemorative event.
• A specially commissioned stamp to commemorate the event
• The preservation of the Carmelite Priory, the only building in Rathmullen to survive from the time of the Flight of the Earls.

Co-ordinator Sally Murphy says the commemoration has the potential to be one of the biggest international events ever hosted in Donegal given the ramifications of the 1607 Flight of the Earls.

The commemorations are part of a wider plan to encourage increased cross-border co-ordination with sport, the arts, culture and tourism.

The Flight of the Earls occurred on the 14th September in 1607, when Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone and Rory O'Donnell, earl of Tír Conaill together with almost 100 other members of Donegal clans boarded a ship on Lough Swilly bound for the continent - never to return. The event is often considered a pivotal moment in Irish history, witnessing the demise of Gaelic Ireland and the onset of the Protestant ascendancy and penal days for Irish Catholics.

The Flight itself is shrouded in controversy as there is no concrete reason for the Earl's departure. Some sources say that the Earl's fled to save their lives from the British, while others say that the Earl's left for Spain, seeking Spanish help with a rebellion against the British forces.

For more information on The Flight of the Earls, visit http://www.theflightoftheearls.net/