The Night The Earls Vanished
About this episode
This episode explores the Flight of the Earls, a significant event in Irish history where 90 Irish nobles fled to Normandy in 1607.
When 90 Irish nobles, led by the Earl of Tyrconnell and the Earl of Tyrone, fled for Normandy in the dead of night on 4th September, 1607, their intentions were not entirely clear. Their escape, which became known as the ‘Flight of the Earls’, was mainly a bid for freedom from the tightening grip of English Protestant rule - but did they intend to return, securing support for a rebellion against England en route? Or simply seek refuge in Rome, amidst an increasingly impossible situation for Catholics after the Nine Years’ War? In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal how the slow deterioration of the Irish lords’ status - giving up their titles, language, religion and private armies - led to this moment; consider why other European nations were not keen to support their cause militarily; and explain how one of their progeny ended up in Eton after being abandoned in Ireland… Further Reading: • ‘The Flight of the Earls’ (History Today, 2007): https://www.historytoday.com/archive/flight-earls • ’Rome to mark Flight of the Earls’ (The Irish Times, 2008): https://www.irishtimes.com/news/rome-to-mark-flight-of-the-earls-1.911911 • ’The Flight of the Earls…
People in this episode
Hosts: Arion, Rebecca, Olly
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: History Today, The Irish Times, Hill of The O'Neill & Ranfurly House
Books & works: The Flight of the Earls
Places: Ireland, Normandy, Rome
More episodes of Today In History with The Retrospectors
- Why Nobody Liked 'Joey'
- Last of the Tasmanian Tigers
- The One Man Submarine
- Becoming Frederick Douglass
- Candle In The Wind II
- America's First Bank Robbery
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Today In History with The Retrospectors podcast page.