On September 14th, 1607 Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and Rory O’Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell left Ireland’s shores for good. The event is commonly known as The Flight of the Earls and those who took part in the flight became known as the “Noble Ninety-Nine.” According to McCavitt in The Flight of the Earls, this event began the “lost leader syndrome” in Irish history. Two hundred and forty years later, another ‘lost leader’ would die in Geneva on his way to Rome, the final address of O’Neill and O’Donnell. Neither the Earls nor the King of the Beggars would set foot in Ireland again, but they could not have known this when they embarked on their journeys.

Produced and presented by Bernie Dwan