Four hundred years ago, Hugh O'Neill and his clan left Donegal and his departure reverberated through history. It was the end of the rule of the Gaelic chieftains in the north of Ireland, which opened the doors for the Protestants from England who settled in Ulster and brought English law with them.
The departure of the ruling class marked the beginning of English domination of Ireland, and a sad history it is. The O'Neill and O'Donnell clans fled to Spain, a Catholic country, to make a new life, and so began the great wave of emigration that spread the Irish all across the globe.
You can read all about it the official website that has been set up as part of the big commemoration festivities. There's said to be millions of Americans who claim Irish ancestry, famous politicians like Ted Kennedy or movie actors like Martin Sheen. Read up on the Flight of the Earls, and you'll know who to thank that they're here....or who to blame.
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