Strengthening co-operation between Ireland and Spain on the 1588 Armada wrecks is the theme of a National Monuments Service (NMS) seminar in Sligo on Friday, September 20th.
The NMS and the Ministry of Culture, Spain are working to protect and raise awareness of this Armada heritage and of other Spanish ships lost in Irish waters over the centuries.
Ongoing research, supported by archaeological discoveries, continues to add to this shared underwater cultural heritage.
Updates will be provided on joint historical research as well as the development of a new National Strategy for the Management and Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage in Ireland.
The seminar will also hear of steps being taken by Ireland to ratify the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.
Minister of State with responsibility for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan said that “ for 450 years an outstanding heritage has lain off our shores”.
“ The 16th-century Armada fleet perfectly reflects the conflicts and complexities of a shared European history. Maritime heritage often connects nations, which is illustrated by the Armada’s fleet, with vessels from several nations including Portugal, Italy, Croatia and Spain lying off our shores,”he said.
“We are the custodians of a shared Armada heritage that means a great deal to the communities of Sligo, Ireland, and Spain. We will continue to strengthen our engagement with Spanish colleagues to ensure that the Armada, and its historical context, is understood and protected into the future,”he said.
“It was the 1980’s Armada discoveries at Streedagh which really encouraged the State to focus on and protect underwater heritage, including most recently the discovery of three historic wrecks off Portmarnock Strand which featured in the media,”Noonan said.
“ I am happy to announce that the NMS is now taking the first steps to prepare a national strategy for the management and protection of Ireland’s underwater cultural heritage,”he said.
“This has involved extensive consultation with stakeholders as well as the important community engagement which will be essential to its success. I am confident that it will set out a visionary approach in line with international best practices.”
Michael MacDonagh,NMS Chief Archaeologist, and Carmen Cabrera Lucio-Villegas, deputy director for the Management and Coordination of Cultural Heritage from Spain’s, Ministry of Culture, will also participate.
Prof Jane Ohlmeyer, Erasmus Smith Professor of Modern History at Trinity College Dublin, will deliver a keynote lecture on the historical context of links between Spain and Ireland with a talk titled: ‘Our shared heritage: commonalities across centuries.’
The National Museum of Ireland will speak about the historic background to the Sligo Armada discoveries and its conservation of objects recovered from the wrecks.
Additional talks will discuss recent marine sonar surveys of Armada wreck sites at Streedagh in Sligo and in the Blasket Sound in Co. Kerry, and a visual diary of the 2015 investigations by NMS on La Juliana wreck at Streedagh.
Local community involvement in Sligo’s Armada heritage will be highlighted at the seminar, which takes place ahead of the annual ‘Remembering the Armada’ commemorations at Streedagh, led by Spanish Armada Ireland and the Grange Association.
