In conjunction with the 2006 Chicago Humanities Festival, whose themethis year is Peace and War, the Irish Fellowship Club of Chicago, theBritish Consulate General of Chicago and the Irish Consulate General ofChicago will sponsor a two-day symposium, on 4 and 5 November 2006, atLoyola University of Chicago’s Water Tower campus, examining thehistoric significance of Hugh O’Neill, the earl of Tyrone, and thegreat dissolution of the old Gaelic order following the Battle ofKinsale (1601) and the Flight of the Earls (1607). Next year, 2007,Irish people around the world will commemorate the 400th anniversary of‘the Flight’, that seminal moment in Irish history when the greatchiefs of Ulster went into exile on the Continent. In the aftermath oftheir withdrawal, the old order of the Gaelic princes came to an end.Britain extended its strategy of plantation to Ulster, involving inthis case the movement of largely Presbyterian Scots to the lands ofthe Ulster chiefs. What unfolded marked the beginning of a new era ofIrish life and the roots of political and cultural issues that remainon the island of Ireland today.
Renowned scholars specialising in the history of The O’Neill, theBattle of Kinsale, the Flight and their impact on the world of theCounter-Reformation will be present at the symposium, offering new andexciting insights into this complicated era of Irish life. Among thedistinguished scholars participating will be: Hiram Morgan (UCC), JohnMcCavitt, Vincent Carey (Plattsburg), Clare Carroll (City University ofNew York), Jerrold Casway (Howard Community College, Maryland), HectorMcDonnell, Valerie McGowan-Doyle (UCC), Thomas O’Connor (Maynooth),Breandan Ó Buachalla (Notre Dame) and Geoffrey Parker (Ohio StateUniversity).
Enquiries: www.irishfellowshipchicago.com