In September 1607 the earls O'Neill and O'Donnell board a ship at Rathmullan. They never come back. Their lands are declared forfeit, and six counties are planted with English and Scots settlers, while Antrim and Down are colonised privately alongside them. The last citadel of the Gaelic order becomes the most British corner of Ireland.
In a Donegal friary, Mícheál Ó Cléirigh and three companions begin compiling the Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland — rescuing a thousand years of history as the old order dies.
Quick answersWhen was the Plantation of Ulster in Ireland?
The Plantation of Ulster spans 1608 to 1640 in this atlas. In September 1607 the earls O'Neill and O'Donnell board a ship at Rathmullan.
Who ruled Ireland during the Plantation of Ulster?
Power was divided: Kingdom of Ireland (24 counties); Plantation counties (8 counties). County boundaries are modern approximations.
What is a lesser-known fact about the Plantation of Ulster?
Derry became 'Londonderry' for the bluntest of reasons: the City of London's livery companies (grocers, fishmongers, goldsmiths) financed and owned the new walled city as a commercial venture. Their successor body still exists.
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