JANUARY 2007

Flight of the Earls Television Series

Four hundred years on and The Flight of the Earls is still regarded as one of the pivotal episodes in Irish history. To coincide with its anniversary, a new three part BBC One Northern Ireland series investigates the events that lead up to it and the affects it had.

The Flight of the Earls starting on Wednesday 24th January at 10.40pm takes an in depth look at what led to the sudden departure of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone and Rory O'Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell. The series charts the Earls' epic journey across Europe as they sought the help of allies for a victorious return to Ireland. The series uses dramatic reconstructions of significant battles that led up to the exodus including the Battle of Yellow Ford in Armagh in 1598 and the Battle of Kinsale in 1601.

The programmes also explore the reasons behind why the Earls made such a hasty departure from Rathmullan on the shores of Lough Swilly in 1607 and examines 400 year old documents and manuscripts that refer to the Gaelic leaders' journey. Presenter Antaine ÓDonnaile travels across Europe including Spain, France and Switzerland to the Earls' final resting place in Rome. For the first time the Flight of the Earls series will also give local viewers the opportunity to simultaneously watch in either English or Irish. Digital viewers will be able to press the red button on their remote controls while watching on BBC One Northern Ireland to access the Irish language version.

Presenter Antaine ÓDonnaile who also produced the series said: "It has been a real privilege for me to follow in the footsteps of the Gaelic nobles to provide viewers with a comprehensive account of what happened during this episode in Irish history that has become known as the Flight of the Earls. "It might have happened 400 years ago but the repercussions of what happened then still reverberate to this day. I hope the series will provide people with a valuable account of the events that led up to the Flight of the Earls and what happened afterwards."

The series was filmed, edited and directed by Gary McCutcheon using the latest camera technology. "Using the latest camera technology for this local series allowed Antaine and I to be really flexible and adaptable while filming." said Gary. "It meant that we've been able to get to numerous locations and pick up the story as we travelled that'll give viewers a real flavour of our journey and that of the Earls."

The three part series, The Flight of the Earls, starts on BBC One Northern Ireland at 10.40pm on Wednesday 24th January.

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