The Flight of the Earls (September 1607) (lively Irish Ballad)

The Flight of the Earls tells the story of a fateful September in 1607 when the proud Gaelic lords of Ulster set sail from the shores of Ireland, carrying with them the last light of the old Gaelic order. The song captures that moment not as quiet tragedy but as a storm of emotion — the clash of loyalty, loss, and hope that marked the end of an age. Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and Rory O’Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell, once the great defenders of Ireland against Elizabeth’s armies, found themselves surrounded by betrayal, spies, and the tightening chains of conquest. Knowing their lands would soon be seized and their heads hunted, they gathered their families, followers, and priests and boarded ships at Rathmullan on Lough Swilly. As the sails caught the wind, Ireland watched its nobility vanish into the western sea. Yet this Irish ballad does not weep in silence; it beats like a drum of farewell. The fiddles rise, the bodhrán strikes, and the voices of the people send their lords away with pride as much as grief. The song celebrates their courage to leave rather than bend the knee, their faith that Ireland’s spirit could survive beyond the reach of the crown. It paints the harbours of Donegal in gold and grey, the sea foam flying as oars cut through exile’s tide, and the women on the headlands waving until the ships were gone. Though the Flight of the Earls marked the fall of Gaelic power, it also began a legend that no conquest could erase. Every chorus lifts the story back to life — not as defeat, but as a journey that kept the dream of freedom alive across centuries. In every note, the song reminds us that though the Earls left Ireland, Ireland never left them.




LYRICS


In the autumn of the year, the winds did blow, Hugh O'Neill, Rory O'Donnell, they had to go, With nearly a hundred nobles by their side, They sailed from Ireland, with no place to hide. To the shores of the mainland, they did flee, The last of the Gaelic kings, lost in history, Their land was taken, their hopes grew dim, The winds of change blew harsh and grim. (Chorus) Oh, the flight of the Earls, away they did sail, From the green hills of Ulster, a sorrowful tale, The Gaelic rule ended, with the setting sun, The Plantations of Ulster had now begun. (Verse 2) Why did they leave? Why did they roam? Their land was stolen, no place to call home, The English crown came, with their power so grand, The O'Neills and O'Donnells could no longer stand. Through the waters they went, with hearts full of pain, Leaving behind the old ways, lost in the strain, The land of their fathers, they could not defend, The end of an era, the old ways did end. (Chorus) Oh, the flight of the Earls, away they did sail, From the green hills of Ulster, a sorrowful tale, The Gaelic rule ended, with the setting sun, The Plantations of Ulster had now begun. (Bridge) The plantations came, and the settlers arrived, The old Irish spirit was nearly deprived, But the hearts of the people, they still beat true, For the land of the Gaels, the dream still grew. (Verse 3) Though the Earls were gone, their legacy stayed, In the hearts of the people, the love never frayed, For Ireland’s freedom, the fight would remain, Through hardship and loss, they’d rise again. (Chorus) Oh, the flight of the Earls, away they did sail, From the green hills of Ulster, a sorrowful tale, The Gaelic rule ended, with the setting sun, The Plantations of Ulster had now begun. (Outro) So let’s raise a glass, to the men who flew, The brave-hearted Earls, who always stayed true, For though they left, their spirit's still here, In the winds of Ulster, the song we revere.

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