Cultural Services Staff with Minister for Education & Science, Ms Mary Hanafin T.D and Donegal County Manager, Michael McCloone.

On 11 April, the Minister for Education & Science, Ms Mary Hanafin T.D, yesterday launched The Flight of the Earls Document Study Pack for Second Level Students at Bundoran Community Library.

The pack has been produced by the Archives Service, Cultural Services, Donegal County Council, to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the Flight of the Earls from Rathmullan, Co Donegal.

Launching the education pack, Minister Hanafin said "The launch of this impressive Flight of the Earls education pack here today, marking the 400th anniversary of the event, will support the spirit of exploration and will be of enormous benefit, not only to the student but also as an invaluable teaching resource in the classroom. It portrays, very clearly, this most important and complex period in Irish history."

Speakers at the launch included the Deputy Mayor of Donegal, Councillor Brendan Byrne; the Chairman of Bundoran Town Council, Councillor Philip McGlynn; the County Manager, Mr Michael McLoone, and Mr Paddy Harte of the International Fund for Ireland.

The pack contains a booklet which gives a colourful history of this seminal period in Irish history in which the Earls of Tyrconnell and Tyrone lived, from the Gaelic Order through to the Battle of Kinsale and the aftermath of the famous flight in 1607. It contains worksheets for students based on facsimiles of archives relating to the history, including maps, letters, proclamations and drawings.

The pack is being made available to all second level schools in Donegal, and in cross border counties, and on demand to other schools and colleges across the country.

The pack was funded by Donegal County Council and the International Fund for Ireland. It was produced and compiled by the County Council’s Archive Service.

For more information or a copy of the pack, contact
Archives Service, Donegal County Council, Three Rivers Centre, Lifford. PHONE: 074 91 72 490/455; email: archivist@donegalcoco.ie