 Extract of a fresco depictingHugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone (left) andRory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, painted c. 1610 byGiovanni Battista Ricci | |
 | |
| Date | September 14, 1607 – April 29, 1608 (1607-09-14 –1608-04-29) |
|---|---|
| Location |
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| Participants | Full list |
| Outcome | Symbolises the end ofGaelic society in Ireland |
On 14 September [O.S. 4 September] 1607, Irish earlsHugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, andRory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, permanently departedRathmullan in Ireland formainland Europe, accompanied by their extended families,retinue, followers and fellow nobility, numbering about 100 people. The earls were patriarchs of the two most powerfulclans inUlster—theO'Neill andO'Donnell clans—and their permanent exile is seen to symbolise the end ofGaelic Irish society.[1] This event is known as theFlight of the Earls (Irish:Imeacht na nIarlaí).
Both earls fought againstthe English Crown in theNine Years' War (1593–1603), which ended with their surrender. The newly crownedJames VI and I granted the earls generous peace terms which allowed them to retain their lands and titles. Many courtiers were unsatisfied with the king's leniency, and hostility towards the earls from British officials gradually increased over time. The implementation of English law in Ireland led to financial difficulties for both earls as well as a major land rights dispute between Tyrone and hisvassalDonnell Ballagh O'Cahan, which was weaponised by officials, includingArthur Chichester,John Davies, andGeorge Montgomery.
The flight was seemingly a snap decision; its exact motivation is unclear and is the subject of debate.[2] The earls may have been conspiring against the government, and their flight could have been an attempt to evade arrest or execution.[3] The earls were bound forA Coruña, asHabsburg Spain had allied with the Irish confederacy during the war, but were turned away byPhilip III for fear of violating the recently-signedTreaty of London. The refugees spent time inLeuven in theSpanish Netherlands, where many of the passengers left their young children to be educated at theIrish College of St Anthony. The earls arrived inRome on 29 April 1608 and were granted small pensions byPope Paul V. Their accommodation in Rome was paltry compared to their estates in Ireland. Tyrconnell died of a fever three months later. Tyrone repeatedly demonstrated his intent to return to Ireland and retake his lands, but he became ill and died in 1616 before doing so.
Most of the passengers on the flight never returned to Ireland. The flight was declared as treasonous by King James and the earls' titles were forfeited, which led to the acquisition of the earls' lands as part of thePlantation of Ulster.
From 1593,Ulster lordsHugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, andHugh Roe O'Donnell led a confederacy of Irish lords in resistance to theTudor conquest of Ireland.[4] TheNine Years' War was a major political threat to the Tudor government'scontrol of Ireland, and cost QueenElizabeth I £2,000,000 to suppress—eight times more than had been spent on all continental wars waged during her reign.[5] Despite the confederacy's military assistance from Spain (which was then engaged in theAnglo-Spanish War against England),[6] confederate forces were decimated at theSiege of Kinsale. Hugh Roe traveled to Spain to seek further support from KingPhilip III, leaving his younger brotherRory in control of his forces.[7]
Following the Irish defeat at Kinsale, the confederacy disintegrated as English forces travelled across Ulster destroying crops and livestock.[8] The royal army's use ofscorched earth tactics led to famine across 1602–1603,[9] with conditions so extreme that the local population were reduced tocannibalism.[10] The promised Spanish fleet was repeatedly delayed due to a lack of resources, despite Hugh Roe's petitioning. He died inSimancas of illness on 9 September [O.S. 30 August] 1602.[11] Subsequently the Spanish government abandoned support for the confederacy and sought peace with England.[12] Rory surrendered toLord DeputyCharles Blount, 8th Baron Mountjoy, atAthlone on 14 December [O.S. 4 December].[13] Tyrone went into hiding for several months, but eventually surrendered by signing theTreaty of Mellifont on 9 April [O.S. 30 March] 1603, which ended the Nine Years' War.[14]
Following Hugh Roe O'Donnell's death, his confessorFlorence Conroy continued to pressure Philip III for send military resources. Conroy sailed fromA Coruña in April 1603 with two ships carrying arms to Ireland, but he arrived after the Treaty of Mellifont had been signed. Conroy did not disembark and returned to Spain.[15]
In summer 1603, Tyrone and Rory travelled toLondon to submit to KingJames I,[16] who had acceeded to the English throne mere days before Tyrone's surrender.[17] Despite years of bloodshed fighting the royal army, the confederates received remarkably generous terms.[18] James pardoned Tyrone and Rory and restored them to most of their lands. Rory was made 1stEarl of Tyrconnell.[a] Many English courtiers were upset and complained at the mild treatment of the earls,[b] and became intent on dismantling the earls' remaining power.[21]
Despite their generous peace terms, the confederates' defeat in the Nine Years' War had a profound effect onGaelic culture. The Gaelic succession system oftanistry was replaced withprimogeniture and Irish lords were forced to renounce theirGaelic titles.[c] These legal changes, which essentially replaced theGaelic legal system withEnglish common law,[25] led to a prominentland rights dispute between Tyrone and his principal sub-chief (and son-in-law)Donnell Ballagh O'Cahan.[26]
Customarily in Gaelic society, powerful chiefs granted portions of their land tosub-chiefs (Irish:uirríthe) in return forblack rents. The often-tense relations between these chiefs were exploited by the government to weaken the Gaelic nobility.[27] O'Cahan faced near-famine conditions towards the end of the war; he surrendered to English commanderHenry Docwra in July 1602, relinquishing a third of his territory tothe Crown under the promise that he would retain the remaining two-thirds under English law.[28] O'Cahan's surrender critically weakened Tyrone's position and created animosity between the two men.[29] When Tyrone surrendered at Mellifont, he negotiated with Mountjoy to retain ownership of O'Cahan's territory, overruling Docwra's promise. O'Cahan was further frustrated when Tyrone imposed various levies and taxes on the land to rebuild his wealth. O'Cahan was forced to yield a third of his lands to Tyrone. Neither man was satisfied with their circumstances as all of the castles on the disputed land remained in government hands.[30]
It was initially easy for Tyrone to rebuild his estates due to the lacklustre government of the new Lord Deputy,George Carey.[31] He used his new patent to claim absolute ownership overhis earldom and reduce the landholdings of other O'Neill clansmen.[32] Tyrone did not lose contact with Spain nor the hope that Anglo-Spanish conflict would renew.[33] He wrote to Philip III in summer 1603, offering to take up arms for Spain if Anglo-Spanish peace negotiations failed.[31] Despite these hopes, the Anglo-Spanish War ended in August 1604 with the signing of theTreaty of London.[34] The Spanish government was hamstrung by bankruptcy and did not want to provoke conflict with England.[35]
Many English politicians and soldiers, who had fought against Tyrone in the war, went to great lengths to convince authorities that Tyrone was untrustworthy and required adequate punishment for his continued treachery.[36]Arthur Chichester, who became Lord Deputy in February 1605,[37] had a markedly more aggressive attitude towards the Gaelic lords. He abolished the Gaelicfeudal system, making sub-chiefs intofreeholders with new legal rights. In October he banned Catholic clergy from Ireland and forced the population to attendProtestant church services.[25] Additionally the discovery of theGunpowder Plot in late 1605 led to an increase in the severity of anti-Catholic laws.[38] Tyrone's marriage became strained over his diminishing social position, and in December 1605 he considered divorcing his wifeCatherine. Chichester sent officerToby Caulfeild to recruit Catherine as a double agent, but she dismissed this out of hand.[39] Tyrone was protected to an extent by Mountjoy's influence over theIrish Privy Council, but this support was lost when Mountjoy died in April 1606.[40]
Chichester began to work withJohn Davies,Attorney-General for Ireland, to accuse Tyrone of treason. Despite their attempts, no hard evidence could be found.[41] Chichester arrested and held Cuchonnacht Maguire, Maguire clan chief and a staunch supporter of Tyrone, for questioning.[42] Other officials harnessed O'Cahan's hostility to orchestrate Tyrone's undoing.[43]George Montgomery, the new ProtestantBishop of Derry, encouraged O'Cahan to renew his lawsuit.[44] Montgomery also encouraged O'Cahan to leave his wife (Tyrone's daughterRose),[45][d] noting that "the breach between [O'Cahan] and his landlord [Tyrone] will be the greater by means of [Tyrone's] daughter".[47] In March 1607 O'Cahan repudiated his marriage[48] (though he retained Rose'sdowry,[47] against Tyrone's will)[45] and before the end of the year he remarried to another woman.[49]
...there are so many that seek to despoil me of the greatest part of the residue which Your Majesty was pleased I should hold, as without Your Highness' special consideration of me I shall in the end have nothing to support my estate, for [Montgomery], not contented with the great living Your Majesty has been pleased to bestow on him, seeketh not only to have from me unto him a great part of my lands... but also setteth on others...[50]
O'Cahan received a loan from theEarl of Londonderry to fund his case,[51] and also had Davies acting as his counsel.[45] In May 1607, the trial came before the Privy Council. Tyrone lost his temper, snatching a document from O'Cahan's hands and tearing it up in front of Chichester. The council decreed that two-thirds of the lands should remain in O'Cahan's possession.[51] It became clear to Tyrone that the restoration of his earldom meant little,[52] and in a letter to the king he requested newletters patent to the disputed lands.[53] In mid-July, Tyrone was ordered to present himself in London at the beginning ofMichaelmas term (late September)[54] to have ownership of the remaining land to be settled by the king.[51]
The Earl of Tyrconnell was discontented with his new royal grant[55] which did not include the lands of his sub-chiefCahir O'Doherty[56] inInishowen.[57] Tyrconnell's struggle to transition from the role of a Gaelic warlord to an Irishpeer led to financial difficulties. This made him bitter and led to his plotting against the government. On a trip toMaynooth in 1607, Tyrconnell spoke of a plot against the English government, involving Tyrone and Spain, during a conversation withRichard Nugent, Baron Delvin (later 1st Earl of Westmeath). By September 1607, Tyrconnell realised that his plotting was known to the government.[55] In late May 1607, Maguire left Ireland for theSpanish Netherlands.[42]
In early summer 1607,Anglo-Irish statesmanBaron Howth, having returned from theLow Countries, alerted Chichester and theEarl of Salisbury to the existence of a treasonous Catholic league. Howth implicated Tyrconnell and Delvin in "a general revolt intended by many of the nobility and principal persons of this land, together with the cities and towns of the greatest strength; and that they will shake off the yoke of the English government, as they term it, and adhere to the Spaniard". Howth couldn't prove Tyrone's involvement, but was assured from his exchanges with insiders that Tyrone was a key figure in the league.[58] Howth claimed that Conroy was travelling to Ireland to notify the Catholic league of an impending Spanish expedition, and had received funding from Philip III.[15] Chichester was alarmed by this news but doubted the veracity of Howth's information.[59]
By contrasting Howth's accusations with Tyrone's account, it appears that Howth exaggerated the information he received. Tyrone's records confirm the existence of this Catholic league, which included many Irish elites, which planned to occupy certain strongholds in Ireland once Spain assistance arrived. Howth stated that Philip III had promised military resources to the league, but from survivingHispano-Irish correspondence it is clear that Philip III had not been appealed to until after the Flight.[42]
Salisbury appears not to have taken Howth's claims seriously; on 22 July 1607, Salisbury and the Privy Council wrote to Chichester that it was "not worthy to draw on the King to any sudden action; because first it might alarm the Irish, especially those he has tampered with and force them into rebellion." Chichester was told that he should had "rectified a little the strong discontent of the towns and others now boiling in their hearts... Their loyalty would then be confirmed and the less would be their jealousy if there were occasion to lay hold of any persons of rank".[54]
Information reached Tyrone that the government intended to imprison him, or possibly execute him, once he got to London. Tyrone probably received the news at the same time he was ordered to London, as Chichester noted "since [Tyrone] received His Majesty's letter for his repair thither, he did lose his former cheerfulness and grew often exceedingly pensive".[60] Tyrone and Tyrconnell later declared in correspondence with Spain that this intelligence came from "intimate friends of theirs on the King's very Council", codenamed "el Cid", "Rodan" and "Malgesi". Of these three friends, only the identity of "el Cid"—Henry Howard, Earl of Northampton—is known.[61]
Historians are undecided on whether this plot actually existed and if the government intended to arrest Tyrone.[3] The exact cause of Tyrone's flight is a matter of controversy among historians,[2] though he certainly believed that his arrest was imminent.[62]
A group of confederate allies, including clan chief Cuconnacht Maguire, seaman John Rath, Tyrconnell's secretary Matthew Tully and nobleman Donagh O'Brien, sent a French vessel to Ulster to facilitate an escape.[63] Tyrone was atSlane with Chichester when news of the vessel's arrival reached him.[64] He seemed to have come to an immediate snap decision.[32] Attorney-General Davies recollected that Tyrone left Slane in an unusually solemn manner, farewelling every servant and child in the house.[65]
By 1607, O'Neill's allies theMaguires and the Earl of Tyrconnell were finding it hard to maintain their prestige on lower incomes. They planned to seek Spanish support before news of theBattle of Gibraltar arrived.
On 14 September [O.S. 4 September] 1607,[66] the émigrés embarked at midday[67][68] atRathmullan, a village onLough Swilly inCounty Donegal, bound forA Coruña in Spain.[69] Tyrone was clearly agitated during the departure. Due to time constraints, he left his five-year-old sonConn Ruadh behind, to Catherine's distress. According to an English account, "[Catherine] being exceedingly weary slipped down from her horse and weeping said she could go no further." Tyrone responded by threatening her with his sword "if she did not pass on with him and put on a more cheerful countenance".[70] The ship was an 80-ton French warship.[69]
The earls were accompanied by ninety followers, many of themUlster noblemen, and some members of their families. Several left their wives behind, hoping either to return or retrieve them later. The lateTomás Ó Fiaich,Archbishop of Armagh, gave a lecture at Rathmullan in September 1988 and recounted that the Earl of Tyrone allegedly "had a gold cross which contained a relic of theTrue Cross, and this he trailed in the water behind the ship, and according to O'Ciainain, it gave some relief from the storm" during the crossing toQuillebeuf-sur-Seine inNormandy, France. They finally reached the Continent on 4 October 1607.[71] This supposed relic of the True Cross was probably a minor relic taken from that kept atHoly Cross Abbey, which they had previously visited en route toKinsale in 1601.[72]
Their destination was Spain, but they disembarked in France, specificallyQuillebeuf-sur-Seine.[73] The ship was driven by storms and contrary winds into port atQuillebeuf inNormandy.Henry IV of France refused English demands to hand over the émigrés and—though denying them from proceeding to Spain—permitted them passage to theSpanish Netherlands.[74]
Despite the earls' petitioning, Philip III would not allow the émigrés to enter Spain for fear of violating the1604 Anglo-Spanish peace treaty.[75] Spain was on the verge of bankruptcy and could not afford another war with England.[35] In mid-December, the émigrés received news that Archduke Albert VII wanted them to leave his states. On 18 February [28 FebruaryN.S.] 1608, Tyrone and his companions (now reduced to thirty-two people on horseback plus the women in a coach) leftLeuven to travel southwards.[76] The nobles left their younger children behind in Leuven under the care of IrishFranciscans atSt Anthony's College.[77]
On 19 April [29 AprilN.S.], Tyrone and Tyrconnell were welcomed intoRome by a large procession of cardinals. The two earls metPope Paul V the next day.[78]
Tadhg Ó Cianáin's diary is important as the only continuous and contemporaneous account of the Flight. Its original title,Turas na dTaoiseach nUltach as Éirinn – the departure of the Chiefs of Ulster from Ireland – has been changed since the creation of the more dramatic phrase "Flight of the Earls" to the latter's modern literal translation,Imeacht na nIarlaí; and, according toProfessor Ó Muraíle,turas can also mean a religiouspilgrimage.[79][80]
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King James issued "A Proclamation touching the Earles of Tyrone and Tyrconnell" on 15 November 1607, describing their action as treasonous, and therefore preparing the ground for the eventualforfeiture of their lands and titles.[81][82]
Their titles wereattainted on 28 October 1614,[83] although they continued to be recognized on the Continent. The attainders were not considered legitimate in continental Catholic countries of the day. Even within the context of English and colonial Irish rule, the attainder came about six years after Rory, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, had already died. As accused, for him to have been properly tried, he should have been tried by his peers in thePeerage of Ireland, under the presiding authority of theLord High Steward of Ireland. However, he was already dead, unable to stand in his own defense, and his title already inherited by his son Hugh "Albert" O'Donnell; therefore in order to attain the title, the trial would have to have been of Hugh "Albert", who had in fact committed no crime. The 6-year delay in hearing the attainders was unavoidable, as his peers in theIrish House of Lords next sat in 1613, and dealt with the matter in the usual manner.
The attainder was however considered a travesty of justice by his supporters, and was considered null and void by many on the Continent. The succession of the Earl of Tyrconnell's son,Hugh Albert O'Donnell, as 2nd Earl of Tyrconnell (1st creation) was therefore recognized as valid in theSpanish Empire, and he was given the same status under a new Spanish titleConde de Tirconnel.
Under theCommon law, the title granted by King James and accepted by the earl had potentially lapsed as soon as the Earl embarked on the ship without his king's permission to leave Ireland, and when it lapsed it could not then pass down to his descendants without some special waiver. Assuming that Hugh Albert was being punished for a crime he did not commit, and was not being given a hearing, misses the whole point of the law of attainder. Hugh Albert was never issued aWrit of Summons to sit in theIrish House of Lords as his father's heir. Hugh Albert also never came to Dublin in 1614 to argue his case for a waiver, so far as is known, and never accepted James I as his king. Until he did so, his title and his claim to nobility were considered to be"in abeyance".
These attainders had a much greater impact on the people of Ulster. The 1603 peace arrangement with the three lords was ended, as they had broken its conditions by leaving the kingdom without permission, and their remaining freehold lands were confiscated. Chichester proposed a new plantation of settlers from England, Wales and Scotland, sponsored in part by theCity of London merchants, which became known as thePlantation of Ulster. This had an enormous negative impact on the lower class Gaelic-culture inhabitants of Ulster.
In thepapal bullIlius of 1555, the Pope had conferred the titleKing of Ireland onKing Philip II of Spain when he was married toQueen Mary. Philip II made no claim to the kingship of Ireland after Mary's death in 1558.[citation needed] He engaged in alengthy war from 1585 with her sisterElizabeth I, and he and his successorPhilip III supported the Irish Catholic rebels by sending the4th Spanish Armada to Ireland in 1601 which ended in defeat at Kinsale. He had been offered the kingship in 1595 by O'Neill and his allies but turned it down. Given this lengthy support, it was reasonable for O'Donnell and O'Neill to imagine that they might solicit help from Philip III, but Spanish policy was to maintain the 1604Treaty with England, and its European fleet had been weakened from several conflicts, including theBattle of Gibraltar by the Dutch over four months earlier.
Therefore, by mid-1607 Spain had neither the desire nor the means to assist an Irish rebellion. While the Flight is often described as a first step in arranging a new war, this must be seen as an emotional and false conclusion, as there were no plans or proposals at all from the Spanish side to support the earls. Spanish policy in the 1590s had been to help the Irish warlords as a nuisance against England, but they had been defeated by 1603. It could not be in any way in the interest of Spain to assist their unsuccessful former allies in 1607.
The event was first named as a "flight" in an 1868 book by ReverendCharles Patrick Meehan. InIrish, the neutral termImeacht is usually used i.e. theDeparture of the Earls. The term 'Flight' is translated 'Teitheadh na nIarlaí'.
Historians such asMicheline Kerney Walsh have criticised the name "Flight".[84][85] Kerney Walsh argued that the Flight was a tactical retreat and not a brash escape from authorities.[86] Historians disagree to what extent the earls wanted to start a war with Spanish help to re-establish their positions, or whether they accepted exile as the best way of coping with their recent loss of status since theTreaty of Mellifont in 1603.[87] Meehan argued that the earls' tenants wanted a new war: "Withal, the people of Ulster were full of hope that O'Neill would return with forces to evict the evictors, but the farther they advanced into this agreeable perspective, the more rapidly did its charms disappear."[88]
Their departure was the end of the old Gaelic order, in that the earls were descended from Gaelic clan dynasties that had ruled their parts of Ulster for centuries. The Flight of the Earls was a watershed event in Irish history, as the ancientGaelicaristocracy of Ulster went into permanent exile. Despite their attachment to and importance in the Gaelic system, the Earls' ancestors had accepted their Earldoms from the English-runKingdom of Ireland in the 1540s, under the policy ofsurrender and regrant (under this policy, Anglo-Irish and Gaelic Irish rulers were to surrender themselves and their lands to Henry VIII, and he would grant their land back to them along with an English title). Some historians argue that their flight was forced upon them by the fallout from theTudor conquest of Ireland, while others that it was an enormous strategic mistake that cleared the way for thePlantation of Ulster.[89]
From 1616, a number of bards outside Ulster had a poetic debate in the "Contention of the bards" and one of the arguments celebrated King James's Gaelic-IrishMilesian ancestry throughMalcolm III of Scotland. So it is debatable whether the Gaelic order had ended or was evolving.
In 2007, the 400th anniversary of the Flight was commemorated throughout County Donegal, including a regatta of tall ships, fireworks, lectures, and conferences.[citation needed]
On 14 September 2007,President of IrelandMary McAleese unveiled a statue byJohn Behan atRathmullan. The bronze statue depicts three men walking agangplank, representing the plight of the refugees.[68]
There is a permanent exhibition dedicated to the Flight of the Earls[90] and the subsequent plantation inDraperstown inNorthern Ireland and at the "Flight of the Earls Centre" in theMartello tower at Rathmullan.
TheCardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich Memorial Library and Archive marked the anniversary with an exhibition and outreach programme supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.[91] Commemorative postage stamps were issued by the Irish post office, featuring illustrations of Tyrone and Tyrconnell by Seán Ó'Brógáin.[92]
In 2008 there were also celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Earls in Rome, with a celebratory performance by theCross Border Orchestra of Ireland in Sant'Ignazio Church in Rome.[93] The flight was famously depicted byThomas Ryan in his 1958 paintingThe Departure of O'Neill out of Ireland.[94]
Across 2007 and 2008,[95]Denis Conway starred in and organised[96] a production ofBrian Friel's 1989 playMaking History, which follows Tyrone in Rome reckoning with his legacy.[97] The production was toured along the route of the Flight of the Earls, as well as at various sites in Ireland associated with Tyrone and Hugh Roe O'Donnell. Similarly to the Flight, the tour concluded in Rome.[98]
In January and February 2007,BBC Northern Ireland broadcast a documentary on the Flight.[99]
Tadhg Ó Cianáin kept a record of the émigrés who participated in the flight. In 1972,Tomás Ó Fiaich and Pádraig de Barra publishedImeacht na nIarlaí, which expanded the list based on extensive research.[100][101] Not all of these individuals made the complete journey from Rathmullan to Rome; some left or joined midway through the journey.
| Name | Role/Rank | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ship's Crew | |||
| John Connor | Captain | [101] | |
| John Rath | Pilot | Not to be confused with merchant John Bath. | [e] |
| O'Neill Clan | |||
| Family | |||
| Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone | O'Neill clan chief, family patriarch | Died July 1616 inRome, buried inSan Pietro in Montorio. | [105] |
| Catherine O'Neill, Countess of Tyrone | Tyrone's fourth wife | Died March 1619 inNaples. | [106] |
| Hugh O'Neill, 4th Baron Dungannon | Tanist to the O'Neill chieftaincy, Tyrone's eldest surviving son by his wifeSiobhán | Died of illness in Rome in September 1609, buried in San Pietro in Montorio. | [107] |
| Shane O'Neill | Tyrone and Catherine's eldest son | Became 3rd Earl of Tyrone in theSpanish nobility and appointed colonel of the first Irish regiment in Spanish service. Died in theBattle of Montjuïc in January 1641. | [108] |
| Brian O'Neill | Tyrone and Catherine's youngest son | Found hanged in Brussels in August 1617, aged 13, possibly assassinated. Buried atSt Anthony's College. | [109] |
| Art Oge O'Neill | Tyrone's nephew | Son of Tyrone's brotherCormac MacBaron and Tyrconnell's sister Margaret | [110] |
| Art Oge O'Neill's wife | [111] | ||
| Brian O'Neill | Tyrone's nephew | Son of Tyrone's brother Cormac MacBaron and Tyrconnell's sister Margaret | [112] |
| Feardorcha O'Neill | Tyrone's grandson | Son of Tyrone's eldest sonConn O'Neill, who died in 1601 | [113] |
| Hugh Oge O'Neill | Tyrone's grand-nephew | [101] | |
| Maigbheathadh Ó Néill | [104] | ||
| Hugh MacHenry O'Neill | [104] | ||
| Bridget O'Neill | Tyrone's daughter | She was with Tyrone in Rome the year before his death, so she presumably took part in the Flight. | [114] |
| Staff | |||
| Henry Hovenden | Tyrone's secretary and chief advisor | Tyrone's Anglo-Irish foster-brother. He died in September 1610 in Rome, buried in San Pietro in Montorio. | [115] |
| Henry O'Hagan | Tyrone's secretary | Survived Tyrone and settled disputes of his will. | [116] |
| Pedro Blanco | Footman | Spanish seaman who came to Ireland in theSpanish Armada. Blanco was still living in Rome in 1616. | [117] |
| Muirchearttach Ó Coinne | Marshall | [104] | |
| Christopher Plunkett | Master of horse | [101] | |
| Colmán | Tyrone's priest | [111] | |
| Unnamed | Tyrone's page | [104] | |
| Seán na bpunta Ó hÁgáin | Rent collector | [104] | |
| Wife of Seán na bpunta Ó hÁgáin | [111] | ||
| O'Donnell Clan | |||
| Family | |||
| Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell | O'Donnell clan chief, family patriarch | Made 1stEarl of Tyrconnell in 1603. Died in Rome from fever in July 1608, buried in San Pietro in Montorio. | [118] |
| Hugh O'Donnell, Baron of Donegal | Tanist to the O'Donnell chieftaincy, Tyrconnell's only son by his wifeBridget. | Succeeded his father as 2nd Earl of Tyrconnell. He became a general in the Spanish army, and died offBarcelona in July 1642 during a naval battle against the French. | [119] |
| Cathbarr O'Donnell | Tyrconnell's only surviving brother | His older brothers,Hugh Roe andManus, died in the Nine Years' War. Cathbarr died in Rome from fever in September 1608, and was buried in San Pietro in Montorio. | [120] |
| Rosa O'Doherty | Cathbarr's wife | Sister ofCahir O'Doherty. She later remarried toOwen Roe O'Neill and returned to Ireland in the 1640s. Rosa died in Brussels in November 1660 and was buried at St Anthony's College. | [121] |
| Hugh O'Donnell | Cathbarr and Rosa's son | Died in 1625 as a captain in theSiege of Breda. | [122] |
| Nuala O'Donnell | Tyrconnell's sister | Died circa 1630, and buried at St Anthony's College | [123] |
| Grania O'Donnell | Nuala's daughter | Possibly the daughter ofNiall Garve O'Donnell | [124] |
| Donal Oge O'Donnell | Tyrconnell's half-nephew | Son of Rory's late half-brotherDonal | [125] |
| Nechtain O'Donnell | Tyrconnell's second cousin | [104] | |
| Staff | |||
| Seán Crón MacDaibhid | Steward | [104] | |
| Mathew Tullie | Secretary | Formerly secretary to Tyrconnell's late brother Hugh Roe O'Donnell | [126] |
| Caecilia O'Gallagher | Hugh Albert O'Donnell'swet nurse | [127] | |
| Muiris | Tyrconnell's page | Died in August 1608. | [128] |
| Other | |||
| Nobles | |||
| Cúchonnacht Maguire | Maguire clan chief, Lord of Fermanagh | Maguire organised the ship. He died of fever inGenoa in August 1608. | [129] |
| Sémus Mac Éimhir MacConnell | Maguire's son | [104] | |
| Maguire's son | Name of the second son is unknown | [101] | |
| Donagh O'Brien | A cousin of the earls of Thomond and Clanrickard who helped Maguire get to Rathmullan | [130] | |
| Clergymen | |||
| Fr. Muiris Ultach | Franciscan friar | This individual could beMuiris MacDonough Ultach orMuiris MacSean Ultach. | [111] |
| Fr.Florence Conroy | Conroy did not board at Rathmullan; he met the earls atDouai and escorted them to Leuven, then continued on with them to Rome. | [131] | |
| Fr. Roibeard Mac Artúir (or Chamberlain) | [101] | ||
| Fr. Tomás Strong | [101] | ||
| Fr. Patrick Duff | The Earl of Tyrone's private chaplain | [126] | |
| Fr. Pádraig Ó Lorcáin | The Countess of Tyrone's chaplain | [126] | |
| Fr. Pádraig Ó Luchráin | [101] | ||
| Fr. Niallán Mac Thiarnáin | [101] | ||
| Fr. Toirealach Ó Sléibhín | [101] | ||
| Fr. Brian Ó Gormlaigh | [101] | ||
| Fr. Diarmaid Ó Duláin | [101] | ||
| Students | |||
| Patrick MacHenry O'Hagan | [101] | ||
| Patrick MacCormac O'Hagan | [101] | ||
| Éamann Ó Maolchraoibhe | [104] | ||
| Fearghas mac Cathmhaoil | [101] | ||
| Matha Mac Thréanfhir | [101] | ||
| Walter Rath | [101] | ||
| Merchants | |||
| Richard Weston | Dundalk merchant | Manager of Tyrone's bribes. By 1599 he had become a double agent working for the English government. | [132] |
| John Bath | Merchant from Ulster | He was a brother of William Bath, the Jesuit who killedDonal O'Sullivan Beare in 1618. John Bath is not to be confused with pilot John Rath. | [e] |
| Writers | |||
| Tadhg Ó Cianáin | Ó Cianáin authored a diary of the Flight whilst living in Rome. His account abruptly ends in November 1608, so it is possible he died around this time. | [133] | |
| Eoghan Ruadh Mac an Bhaird | Abardic poet who accompanied his patroness, Nuala O'Donnell. | [69] | |
In his account,Ó Cianáin recorded "2 lackies of [Tyrone]", "4 servants of [Tyrconnell]", "3 lackies of [Tyrconnell]" and "3 waiting women".[104]
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55°05′26″N7°33′17″W / 55.0906°N 7.5548°W /55.0906; -7.5548
