
1588: The Spanish Armada and the 24 Ships lost on Ireland’s shores
By 1588, relations between the superpower of the time, Catholic Spain and the relatively small Protestant England had deteriorated to a new low. Philip II had decided that the best way to deal with English piracy and its support for the Dutch rebels was to invade England and replace Elizabeth I with a friendly Catholic ruler. At the end of May 1588 an enormous fleet set out from Lisbon. Skirmishes along the English Channel culminated in the great battle of Gravelines. Wind blew the Armada up the North Sea, around the north of Scotland and Ireland to begin a tortuous storm-bound journey back to Spain.
Michael B. Barry
- Andalus Press
- 9781838485931
- 288 pages
- €29.99
- Hardback
- Ireland
- British & Irish history