{"id":526541,"date":"2026-06-30T22:02:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T22:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/526541\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T22:02:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T22:02:10","slug":"it-is-a-huge-honour-ship-traces-journey-spanish-armada-sailors-made-in-1588-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/526541\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It is a huge honour\u2019: Ship traces journey Spanish Armada sailors made in 1588 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is no surprise that those seafaring forebears of the ill-fated Spanish Armada of 1588 were on the mind of Captain Miguel Cuesta Almansa of the Gale\u00f3n Andaluc\u00eda as his craft rolled in heavy seas around Malin Head and down the Co Donegal<\/a> coastline early on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n

But the sea god, Manann\u00e1n Mac Lir, was clearly in a benevolent mood as the waves relented and the sun began to shine on the world\u2019s largest replica of a traditional Spanish galleon. Indeed conditions became so favourable around midmorning that a winchman from Rescue 118, the coastguard helicopter based at Sligo Airport, landed on the deck to say \u201chello\u201d off Glen Head in southwest Donegal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a huge honour to be able to sail in these same waters as Spanish sailors did nearly 500 years ago now. I understand the difficulties of sailing these waters as it is difficult even now these days with all of the advances in technology one has,\u201d Captain Almansa told The Irish Times. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is such an honour also to be able to experience this and already to be receiving such a welcome. We are so happy to get all this recognition and that we stayed so much in the memory of the people of Sligo<\/a> and along the west coast. <\/p>\n

He was speaking as he prepared to drop anchor at Streedagh Beach on the northern shores of Co Sligo around 2pm. It was where three of the armada ships sank during what is locally known as the Great Gale of September 21st, 1588. <\/p>\n

More than 1,100 sailors and soldiers were lost from La Lavia, Santa Mar\u00eda de Visi\u00f3n and La Juliana at Streedagh. Ironically, this fleet\u2019s mission was the overthrow of Queen Elizabeth 1 of England but extreme weather had driven the ships into the badly mapped west of Ireland. <\/p>\n

It is also a poignant day for long-time Spanish Armada enthusiast Eddie O\u2019Gorman, who was aboard a support craft for the wreath-laying ceremony and the galleon\u2019s firing of an eight-cannon salute. <\/p>\n

\u201cWatching this magnificent ship, the Andaluc\u00eda, under sail here off Streedagh this afternoon is very moving. This replica is the first Spanish galleon seen in these waters in 438 years and the people of the north west commemorate the tragic loss of those poor sailors and soldiers every year here at Streedagh, as well as recalling the tales about the surviving captain, Francisco de Cu\u00e9llar,\u201d O\u2019Gorman said.<\/p>\n

He was in a boat sailing alongside the Andaluc\u00eda, with Carraig na Sp\u00e1inneach appropriately off their port side.<\/p>\n

Their craft is dwarfed by the visiting ship, which is almost 50 metres long, with six decks and seven sails. This floating museum was constructed from iroko and pine wood over 2009 and 2010.<\/p>\n

\"GaleónGale\u00f3n Andaluc\u00eda at Streedagh. Photograph: Spanish Armada Ireland <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Andaluc\u00eda\u2019s logistician, Lupo Bathke, is joining the ship from land after he completes various meetings with Sligo\u2019s harbour master as well as shopping for those on board. They are a motley crew of cadets and volunteers from Spain, France, the US and South America, he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be there to catch the ropes at Deepwater Quay and we look forward to inviting the public aboard over the next two weeks,\u201d Bathke said. <\/p>\n

By all accounts, the visit of the ship will provide a big boost to tourism and the annual celebration commemorating the disaster, the Remembering the Armada Festival, which will be launched during its stay. <\/p>\n

The initiative is supported by Sligo County Council, the Sligo Tourist Development Association and F\u00e1ilte Ireland.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs both Cathaoirleach of the county council and a long-standing member of the Grange and Armada Development Association, I am delighted to welcome the Gale\u00f3n Andaluc\u00eda to Sligo,\u201d Cllr Donal Gilroy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis ship represents a powerful link between our coastline and one of the most compelling chapters in European maritime history. Its visit strengthens the bond between Sligo and the Armada story, honours those who were lost at Streedagh in 1588, and offers our communities and visitors a unique opportunity to engage with this shared heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It is no surprise that those seafaring forebears of the ill-fated Spanish Armada of 1588 were on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":526542,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1485,61,60,43,14169],"class_list":["post-526541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-donegal","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news","tag-sligo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=526541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526541\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/526542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}