The scenic departure point of the Flight of the Earls

Rathmullan is a beautiful seaside village located on the shores of Lough Swilly. This was the scene of one of the most important turning points in Irish history when the last of the great Northern Gaelic chiefs left Ireland for the last time. They planned to sail to the continent to ask the Spanish Monarchy and The Pope for help to regain their lands from the Protestant armies of Queen Elizabeth I. This event became known as the Flight of the Earls. The Napoleonic Gun battery now houses a heritage center to tell this story and in the village, you can see the ruins of a Carmelite Friary built in 1508 that was once the home of Andrew Know, Bishop of Raphoe.

Thanks to GNorris for beautiful informative video