Following the failure of King Philip II of Spain’s naval invasion of England, the Spanish Armada, a fleet of 130 ships, was forced to escape north, along the coastlines of Scotland and Ireland, in the hopes of returning to Spain. Winter storms, however, drove several of the ships off course, and three of them, the La Lavia, Santa Maria de Visión, and La Juliana, were destroyed on Sligo’s Streedagh Beach. Over 1,000 soldiers were killed.
A limited number of survivors emerged from the debris, including Captain Francisco de Cuéllar, a Spanish sailor who managed to withstand the English soldiers’ onslaught. He lived to recount the account of his exploits in his memoir published in 1589, aided and put upon in equal measure by the native Irish.
The Grange and Armada Association is located in Grange Village, Sligo, in the Old Court House. The tourist experience includes a screening of the docudrama Armada1588, Shipwreck & Survival on a large screen, as well as other activities. Captain Francisco de Cuéllar, renowned survivor of the Streedagh Wrecks and his struggles, sufferings, and adventures in 16th Century Ireland are vividly depicted in this book. The tale of the ill-fated 1588 Spanish Armada is told through display panels, genuine and replica items, and the renowned Wrecks site at Streedagh is placed in perspective.
