Mullaghmore harbour in north Co Sligo was bustling with several hundred onlookers as four bronze cannons that had lain for more than 400 years in a Spanish Armada wreck at Streedagh started their next journey to the National Museum in Dublin.
As onlookers marvelled at the detail on the artifacts, including one cannon apparently depicting a bearded St Peter holding the keys to heaven, it emerged that three more will be removed on Wednesday by divers from the underwater archaeology unit of the Department of Arts and Heritage.
Minister for Arts Heather Humphreys has announced that the dive on the Spanish Armada wrecks off the coast of Streedagh in Co. Sligo is continuing to yield up significant artifacts.
The focus of the dive is on the wreck of La Juliana, parts of which were uncovered on the seabed by recent winter storms and are particularly vulnerable to the effects of the weather and possible illegal interference. See link below
The latest phase of this work has so far successfully recovered a variety of important artifacts, including six bronze cannon, one gun carriage wheel, a ship’s cauldron and other smaller items.
La Juliana formed part of the Spanish Fleet of 130 ships, 26 of which were lost around the coast of Ireland. Two other ships were wrecked alongside La Juliana, La Lavia and Santa Maria de Vison, at Streedagh in September 1588, with a total loss of over 1,100 lives.
Recovered
One of these cannons is still lying on the seabed at Streedagh where three Spanish Armada galleons were shipwrecked in 1588. Two others were recovered by divers in recent days from the wreck of La Juliana at Streedagh. They were placed in underwater storage in Mullaghmore pending transfer to the NationalMuseum.
A campaign to establish a permanent Armada museum in Grange village close to Streedagh is gathering momentum. Minister Humphreys, who visited the site of the wrecks in June said she was very much aware that the Grange Armada Development Association would like to see the material returned to the community to be exhibited locally when the conservation work was done.
Donal Gilroy, a member of the Grange Armada Development Association, pointed out that as well as the canons, recently recovered artefacts local people were acutely aware of the link with the 1,100 Spanish sailors who had lost their lives at Streedagh in 1588. “This is their graveyard,” he said.
Mr Gilroy pointed out that just 12 of the 32 cannon on La Juliana had been recovered so far – three in 1985, two last June, four on Monday, with three more due to be removed from the sea on Wednesday.
Making the case for a permanent museum in Grange, Mr Gilroy added: “If you wanted a centre for the Cliffs of Moher, there would be no point having it in Merrion Square.”
The large crowd at Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo to watch the Underwater Archaeology Unit preparing cannons, discovered at the wreck of the Spanish Armada ship La Julianna off Streedagh, to be transported to the National Museum in Dublin. Photo: Ciaran McHugh.
However there is a growing body of people in the region who say that the artifacts should be returned to Spain as they maintain that the entire haul is the rightful property of the Spanish Crown.
Two other Armada ships, La Lavia and Santa Maria de Vison are submerged in sand at Streedagh, but locals have expressed concern about the security of La Juliana, which has been partly exposed by storms .
(Source – Sligo Today – 18/06/2015)
A diver from the underwater archaeology unit of the Department of Arts and Heritage with the St. Peter cannon
One of the cannons being unloaded – Photo Eileen Magnier