Turas na dTaoiseach nUltach as Éirinn from Ráth Maoláin to Rome

Tadhg O Cianáin’s contemporary narrative of the so-called ‘Flight of the Earls’, 1607–8

Nollaig Ó Muraíle

‘Dr Ó Muráile has rendered readers a great service by bringing together, and in some cases, translating, a number of important contributions on a very significant event in seventeenth-century Irish history', Caoimhin Breatnach, Besprechugen (2011).

'This is a fascinating insider’s account of the hugely symbolic event. It is full of interesting detail, incidental information and personal observation of the earls as they journeyed south. It is a handsome production, pleasing to look at and easy to read' ,Books Ireland (February 2008).

‘This is a handsome book with the parallel Irish and English texts clearly laid out and easy to follow. The illustrations and maps are nicely done while the appendices add further depth to the accompanying essays. Ó Muraíle has done a good job as a editor and his introduction not only sets Ó Cianáin in his historical context but gives us a good account of the history of his text … There is much to be learned for both the linguist and historian in this work’, Tony Canavan, Books Ireland (April 2008).

‘Tadhg Ó Cianáin’s memoir of the European journey of the Ulster earls in 1607–08 has been an extraordinary influential document … One of the real disappointments of the flourishing of Irish historical research in recent years has been the reluctance of most students of early modern Ireland to take seriously the challenge of engaging with the Irish language texts emanating from within the very communities they seek to understand. Ó Muraíle’s exemplary edition, which makes navigating the test he chooses to call Turans na dTaoiseach a pleasure, is a good place to start. It is a most worthwhile publication that will stand the test of time’, Bernadette Cunningham, Studia Hibernica (October 2008).

‘Ó Fiaich’s commentary, which offers a blow-by-blow account of the journey, is translated into English … Ó Muraíle has placed an accessible and meticulously edited primary source at the disposal of historians and other scholars. Above all, it underlines the significance of the Irish engagement with the continent in the early modern period and it challenges historians to explore that story in new ways', Liam Chambers, Irish Economic and Social History (2011).