The tribute of an Irish village to 1,100 Spanish sailors shipwrecked in 1588

In the summer of 1588, Spain formed the Great Armada, a huge fleet that aimed to invade England and dethrone Queen Elizabeth I.

The Spanish Navy will receive a second multipurpose ship of the 'Carnota' class
The visit to Vigo of the patrol vessel LÉ William Butler Yeats of the Irish Naval Service

The expedition, dubbed the "Invincible Armada" by English propaganda, failed due to inclement weather, with two-thirds of the fleet returning to Spain. Some ships reached the coasts of Ireland. On 26 September 1588, three ships - the Lavia, the Juliana and the Santa María de Visón - landed off Streedagh beach in County Sligo, in the northwest of Ireland. The ships were carrying 1,100 crew members on board.

Irish was predominantly Catholic and openly supported Spain. Many Mullaghmore locals helped the Spanish castaways. The English managed to execute 150 survivors, and the few who survived did so thanks to the help of those Irish Catholics.

For years, Sligo residents have been remembering the Spanish shipwreck victims who died on their shores in 1588. They organise tributes to them, hold cultural events and carry out a march to Streedagh Beach, where the shipwreck took place.

Year after year, on that beach, locals place 1,100 wooden crosses, an emotional tribute to each of the Spaniards who sailed on those three ships.

The Spanish Navy has been participating in these tributes for years, together with Spanish civilians who travel to that part of Ireland at the end of each summer to remember their compatriots who fell there.

The Spanish Navy usually sends a ship to Ireland to participate in these tributes. This year, the Navy has sent the Multipurpose Vessel "Carnota" A-61, which entered service in December of last year, for this tribute.

The Music Unit of the Northern Third of the Marine Infantry, based in Ferrol, has also been sent, which has accompanied these events with its musical instruments.

The Spanish Navy and the Irish Naval Service have participated jointly in this tribute, which was attended by the Chief of Staff of the Navy (AJEMA), Admiral General Antonio Piñeiro Sánchez, and the ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain in the Republic of Ireland, Ion de la Riva Guzmán de Frutos.

During this event, which was held on Saturday 21st September, a monolith was inaugurated on Streedagh beach to commemorate the 1,100 Spanish castaways.

The flags of Ireland, Spain and the Cross of Burgundy, the former flag of Spain, which flew in the various territories of the Spanish Empire for centuries, flew from the three flagpoles on Streedagh Beach.

The audience also carried the flags of Ireland and Spain, along with flags with the Cross of Burgundy and also the flag flown by the ships of the Grand Armada, red, white and yellow.

As in other years, Spanish and Irish sailors and civilians have participated in the Twilight Parade, from the town of Grange to Streedagh Beach, in memory of those 1,100 Spanish shipwrecks.

The photos you can see in this post Spanish Armada, the Spanish Embassy in Ireland, Spanish Armada Ireland, RTÉ News and Aideen Connolly. You can see some more images from the events here.