Captain Francisco de Cuéllar’s vivid account of his survival following the loss of three ships from the 1588 Spanish Armada in Streedagh Bay, Sligo, is the focus of a new book published by the National Monuments Service in partnership with the Spanish Ministry of Culture.
“The Letter from Captain Cuéllar – Shipwrecks of the Spanish Armada in Ireland” comprises specialist contributions from both Ireland and Spain, explores and reinterprets Cuéllar’s extraordinary journey and is supported by contemporary historical accounts and recent archaeological discoveries in County Sligo.
A facsimile of Captain Cuéllar’s letter ‘La Carta’ is also published with an accompanying translation in English.
Captain Cuéllar was on board a ship that was part of the Spanish Armada, which was wrecked off the coast of Streedagh beach in Co Sligo on September 21st,1588.
After surviving the wreck, Cuéllar spent several months travelling through the northwest of Ireland, moving between Gaelic chieftains, hiding from English forces and attempting to secure passage to Scotland and eventually back to Spain.
He later wrote a detailed narrative of his experiences in a letter to King Philip in 1589. This account provides one of the most vivid and valuable first-hand descriptions of life in the late-16th century.
Captain Cuéllar’s letter has long been regarded as a significant source for understanding the history and archaeology of the northwest of Ireland, and it continues to inform research into our shared underwater cultural heritage between Ireland and Spain.
His “Carta” is described as “a fascinating document, narrating in the first person the extraordinary adventure of one of the captains of the Armada”.
“His story is peppered with descriptions of Ireland in the late 16th century – its geography, inhabitants, language and social conditions. Cuéllar was stranded in an unfamiliar land and grappling with the loss of his crew and ships. His journey home is a saga of endurance against the socio-political backdrop and extreme weather of Ireland at the time,”the publishers say.
“After surviving the wreck, Cuéllar spent several months travelling through the northwest of Ireland, moving between Gaelic chieftains, hiding from English forces and attempting to secure passage to Scotland, then to the Netherlands, and eventually back to Spain. He wrote a detailed narrative of his experiences in a letter to King Philip in 1589. This account provides one of the most vivid and valuable first-hand descriptions of life in the late-16th century,”they add.
Minister of State for Heritage, Nature and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan commended the National Monuments Service for its work on the heritage of the Spanish Armada.
“Through Ireland’s recent ratification of the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, we are strengthening our commitment to the protection of underwater archaeology on the international stage,”he said.
“I look forward to continuing this very close cooperation with Spain – as demonstrated through this wonderful book – on our remarkable shared heritage, which lies in Irish waters.”
The archaeological remains of the Armada lie on the seabed at Streedagh. In response to the impacts of severe winter storms in 2015, the National Monuments Service recovered nine bronze guns and a bronze cauldron from the wreck of La Juliana, and recorded carriage wheels and the ship structure.
The material recovered from the wreck of La Juliana comprises the largest collection of guns from one Armada wreck in the world to date.
The Spanish Ambassador to Ireland, Her Excellency Teresa Lizaranzu emphasised that the publication “honours the shared history of Ireland and Spain and the bonds that tie our countries together”.
“Moreover it honours the courage and memory of Captain Cuéllar and his fellow countrymen of the Armada, bringing to life his direct testimony of the wrecking event and his onward travels. It shows the excellence of our bilateral cultural cooperation and the joint efforts of our experts to preserve Heritage,”she said.
The National Monuments Service and the Spanish Ministry of Culture say they are working closely on the protection of this underwater cultural heritage.
“Under a strengthening cooperation framework, Ireland and Spain are now developing joint projects and sharing information and knowledge. Engagement with communities, particularly those in Sligo and Donegal, where Armada ships and those on board were lost and are remembered in annual commemoration events as an important component of the cooperation framework,”they state.
Senior Archaeologist Dr Connie Kelleher with the National Monuments Service said that “shipwrecks capture the imagination, ships lost in mere moments and sealed by sand and time”.
“The Armada story is a human story, vividly told by Captain Cuéllar in his account. This tale has travelled to us through the centuries and reflects a collective cultural heritage that we share today,”she said.
“ Sharing ideas and knowledge, collaborating on research and engaging in areas of mutual interest is key to future management and protection. The publication of Captain Cuéllar’s Carta is a wonderful example of this emerging partnership.”
Assistant Deputy Director for the Management and Coordination of Cultural Heritage for Spain’s Ministry of Culture, Carmen Cabrera said that “the story of the Spanish Armada and the ships that were lost around the Irish coast, along with the stories of those involved is but one aspect of the shared heritage that exists between Ireland and Spain”.
“We hope this publication will raise awareness of the uniqueness of Captain Cuéllar's letter, foster interest in underwater cultural heritage, and further strengthen collaboration and future projects between our two nations in honour of our shared past.”
La Juliana, a vessel from Barcelona, was wrecked at Streedagh along with the other two ships, La Lavia from Venice and Santa Maria de Visón from Dubrovnik, on the 21 September 1588, with the cumulative loss of over 1,100 lives. The three ships formed part of the Spanish fleet of 130 ships, 26 of which were in total lost around the coast of Ireland.
At 860 tons, La Juliana carried 325 soldiers and a crew of 70 mariners. A noteworthy survivor of La Juliana was Pedro Blanco who subsequently entered the service of Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone.
Captain Francisco de Cuéllar, who served on the ship La Lavia, is the most famous survivor. He wrote his detailed account of the sinking and of his time in Ireland thereafter, giving a wonderful insight into the living conditions that prevailed in the northwest of Ireland at that time.
The collection of 12 cannon from Streedagh, in excellent condition and representing foundries from Genoa to Sicily to Constantinople, has garnered much attention from international scholars as well as from media, especially in the Spanish-speaking parts of the world.
