Ireland, 1588: Wreck of the Spanish Armada

In 1588, a fleet of Spanish ships carrying an army of soldiers sailed towards England. After meeting up with the Duke of Parma in Flanders, their aim was to land an invasion force on English soil and depose the Protestant Queen Elizabeth.

This fascinating book from Michael Sheane explores Ireland's part in the Armada. With a Catholic population, Ireland was seen as a safer place to drop anchor, obtain provisions and repair the ships that had been pummelled by the wind, waves and the English Navy. However, the Emerald Isle was full of troops that were loyal to the crown, and coming ashore was nowhere near as simple a task as the Spanish had hoped. With a lack of knowledge of the seas around Ireland's north, west and south coasts, many Spanish ships became wrecks which live on in today's memory through the naming of the locations at which they met their dreadful end.