26/05/2026
The Spanish Armada is one of history’s great tales. In May 1588 the greatest battle fleet that Europe had seen set out from the mouth of the Tagus to conquer England.
After the disastrous encounter with the English fleet, some of the ships sought shelter on the western coast of Ireland whose ragged and rocky coastline became the graveyard of almost one quarter of the Spanish fleet. Most of the Spaniards who were shipwrecked in Ireland were surrendered by the Irish to the English authorities, who later executed them.
The Spanish Armada is a knife edge moment of history, had Spain thoroughly defeated England in the 16th century, it is almost impossible to extrapolate what Europe, and the world would look like today as a result.
Niall Fallon's book "The Armada in Ireland" is the result of exhaustive research, where every wreck site has been visited, contemporary sources used, archaeological evidence drawn from, and interviews with locals regarding the Armada to illuminate the oral histories passed from generation to generation.
We have a hardback copy for sale here on the Charlie Byrne Website for €25: https://charliebyrne.ie/product/the-armada/
