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1588: The Spanish Armada and the 24 Ships Lost on Ireland’s Shores
Contrary to widespread belief, the Spanish Armada was not although it failed to invade England and suffered losses, over two-thirds of the fleet survived and sailed back to Spain.
The main losses were on Ireland’s jagged coasts where exceptionally severe storms wrecked 24 of the ships making their return journey. These coasts were also the nightmarish setting where most Armada survivors were put to death by a Tudor regime struggling to extend its control over the whole island.
Using a wealth of illustrations and specially prepared maps, Michael B. Barry brings to life the story of the Armada from start to finish, written in an accessible style. Using new information and fresh insights, it refutes the myths about this epoch-making period in history. If you want to gain a new perspective on the Spanish Armada, this is the book.
Praise for the book
‘Deserves praise for how clearly he tells the story, for his extensive use of sources… and for the superb illustrations.’ Irish Times
‘The book is aimed at the general reader and Barry rises to this challenge by delivering his account with the flow and clarity of a good story teller, adding touches of his own humour. [He] has delivered a gem. The beautifully reproduced photographs, paintings and maps enhance the detail and bring clarity to the reader.’ Irish Examiner
‘Greatly enhanced by maps, paintings and photographs on almost all 280 pages, Barry’s book feels like a labour of love. He makes excellent use of recently published Spanish maritime sources.’ Sunday Business Post
The main losses were on Ireland’s jagged coasts where exceptionally severe storms wrecked 24 of the ships making their return journey. These coasts were also the nightmarish setting where most Armada survivors were put to death by a Tudor regime struggling to extend its control over the whole island.
Using a wealth of illustrations and specially prepared maps, Michael B. Barry brings to life the story of the Armada from start to finish, written in an accessible style. Using new information and fresh insights, it refutes the myths about this epoch-making period in history. If you want to gain a new perspective on the Spanish Armada, this is the book.
Praise for the book
‘Deserves praise for how clearly he tells the story, for his extensive use of sources… and for the superb illustrations.’ Irish Times
‘The book is aimed at the general reader and Barry rises to this challenge by delivering his account with the flow and clarity of a good story teller, adding touches of his own humour. [He] has delivered a gem. The beautifully reproduced photographs, paintings and maps enhance the detail and bring clarity to the reader.’ Irish Examiner
‘Greatly enhanced by maps, paintings and photographs on almost all 280 pages, Barry’s book feels like a labour of love. He makes excellent use of recently published Spanish maritime sources.’ Sunday Business Post
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2024
2 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Michael B. Barry
24 books3 followersAuthor and historian Michael B. Barry studied in Trinity College, Dublin. He has worked on transportation projects both in Ireland and around the world. With a strong interest in history and heritage, Michael has written several books including 'Victorian Dublin Revealed' and 'The Green Divide, an Illustrated History of the Irish Civil War'. His recent book 'Courage Boys, We are Winning, an Illustrated History of the 1916 Rising' is a best seller. It has been described in the press as the best illustrated book on the 1916 Rising, and has gone into reprint.
Michael is an accomplished photographer and, in the years leading up to 2008, traveled to Spain, Jordan and Morocco to take a large selection of images for 'Homage to al-Andalus, the Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain'. His research also took him to Syria in 2008. His photographs of Syria’s heritage taken then form a valuable archive which enabled him to create the book 'Beyond the Chaos, the Remarkable Heritage of Syria' in 2014.
Michael is an accomplished photographer and, in the years leading up to 2008, traveled to Spain, Jordan and Morocco to take a large selection of images for 'Homage to al-Andalus, the Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain'. His research also took him to Syria in 2008. His photographs of Syria’s heritage taken then form a valuable archive which enabled him to create the book 'Beyond the Chaos, the Remarkable Heritage of Syria' in 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 5, 2025
Exhaustive account of the story of the Spanish Armada. Contains much more detail than I would’ve expected from what I assumed was a coffee table book. Potentially might be too much detail as it can be a bit of an information dump that’s a slog to get through in the more (almost real time) anecdotes. Doubles as a good overview of the Anglo Spanish & the origins of the 80 years wars as well as Ireland in the years leading up to (less than you might’ve previously assumed of) the Armada being lost on its shores. Definitely recommended for anyone looking to learn about the topic.
September 14, 2025
I'd studied Tudor History at A'level and knew about the Armada from that and, living In Belfast we'd visited Derry and seen some Armada relics there.
However, Michael B. Barry's detailed and beautifully illustrated book takes a much deeper look at the whole Armada expedition and goes into some detail on the fate of those ships and men lost on the West Coast of Ireland as the Armada circumnavigated the British Isles.
Barry gives no just a squadron by squadron but a ship by ship breakdown of the Armada and its officers and crews. The account draws extensively on Spanish Archive material, including mentioning marginal notes made by Philip II on despatches from his generals in the Netherlands and elsewhere. As Barry points out, Spain was a successful maritime nation with some significant victories to its name. Its galleons were well built capable vessels that mostly were able to weather and survive the cruel Atlantic storms that cast so many ships on hostile Irish shores.
Like Cloudsley Shovell in the wreck of the Association over a hundred years later, the Armada's escape was compromised by the then impossibility of calculating longitude. In that ignorance they found themselves far closer to Ireland than anticipated on their run south, leading many into dire peril.
However, Barry gives the full backstory over the course of five detailed chapters, giving the political background, the logistical preparations, the sailing up the channel and the ultimate failure of the Armada to deliver on its intended mission. He addresses some historical misconceptions that I had, confirms other details, including the significance of the English fireships at Calais. Medina Sedona is credited for his administrative skill - although his lack of military experience also comes through.
However, it is in Chapter six with many maps and photographs of the sites of the different wrecks, that Barry's account really reaches its stride. I had known that at one wreck the poor survivors who weren't drowned were summarily robbed, stripped and murdered. I had not realised that this was not an isolated incident but an actual matter of policy by the English overlords in Ireland and the local leaders who had pledged allegiance. Those few Irish Earls who treated the shipwrecked mariners kindly quickly fell foul of the English authorities in the short years after the Armada.
There is a wealth of detail in this fascinating book, drawing on letters and papers from the few survivors and from those who interrogated them. Through it the personalities, the technology and the brutality of the age are comprehensively rendered.
It is a reminder of an age where 'noble' lives were literally (by way of ransom) and metaphorically by virtue of some assumed intrinsic virtue, worth more than ordinary lives. As always in history, to treat a fellow human being with such brutality means the abuser must first regard his foe as some how less than human. In so doing he also dehumanises himself.
The book is an outstanding achievement, depicting a very different time - under different pressures - the kind of time we might hope we have grown out of.
However, Michael B. Barry's detailed and beautifully illustrated book takes a much deeper look at the whole Armada expedition and goes into some detail on the fate of those ships and men lost on the West Coast of Ireland as the Armada circumnavigated the British Isles.
Barry gives no just a squadron by squadron but a ship by ship breakdown of the Armada and its officers and crews. The account draws extensively on Spanish Archive material, including mentioning marginal notes made by Philip II on despatches from his generals in the Netherlands and elsewhere. As Barry points out, Spain was a successful maritime nation with some significant victories to its name. Its galleons were well built capable vessels that mostly were able to weather and survive the cruel Atlantic storms that cast so many ships on hostile Irish shores.
Like Cloudsley Shovell in the wreck of the Association over a hundred years later, the Armada's escape was compromised by the then impossibility of calculating longitude. In that ignorance they found themselves far closer to Ireland than anticipated on their run south, leading many into dire peril.
However, Barry gives the full backstory over the course of five detailed chapters, giving the political background, the logistical preparations, the sailing up the channel and the ultimate failure of the Armada to deliver on its intended mission. He addresses some historical misconceptions that I had, confirms other details, including the significance of the English fireships at Calais. Medina Sedona is credited for his administrative skill - although his lack of military experience also comes through.
However, it is in Chapter six with many maps and photographs of the sites of the different wrecks, that Barry's account really reaches its stride. I had known that at one wreck the poor survivors who weren't drowned were summarily robbed, stripped and murdered. I had not realised that this was not an isolated incident but an actual matter of policy by the English overlords in Ireland and the local leaders who had pledged allegiance. Those few Irish Earls who treated the shipwrecked mariners kindly quickly fell foul of the English authorities in the short years after the Armada.
There is a wealth of detail in this fascinating book, drawing on letters and papers from the few survivors and from those who interrogated them. Through it the personalities, the technology and the brutality of the age are comprehensively rendered.
It is a reminder of an age where 'noble' lives were literally (by way of ransom) and metaphorically by virtue of some assumed intrinsic virtue, worth more than ordinary lives. As always in history, to treat a fellow human being with such brutality means the abuser must first regard his foe as some how less than human. In so doing he also dehumanises himself.
The book is an outstanding achievement, depicting a very different time - under different pressures - the kind of time we might hope we have grown out of.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews