178 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



the mercy of winds and waves ; dawn breaks slowly and reluctantly, 

 and discloses to view the castellated hulls of those floating fortresses 

 strewing the beach at Streedagh. Of their crews comparatively 

 few succeeded in struggling safely to shore. Even within the last 

 few years have been exposed to view war materials, stores, cannon 

 balls encased in lead,^ and likewise bones of those mariners buried 

 nearly three centuries before upon the strand. The largest of the 

 galleons struck on a reef (from that circumstance called Carrig-na- 

 Spania, or the Spanish rock) situated off the little island of Deminish, 

 parish of Ahamlish ; and on the map of the Sligo coast (a.d. 1609) is 

 placed opposite to this island the following observation: — "Three 

 Spanish shipps here cast away in An° Dili 1588." 



On the Admiralty Chart of Sligo Bay, scale xr^Wo, 1880, Aham- 

 lish Church is shown at less than 2h miles from Streedagh point. 

 This fixes sufficiently accurately the point where Cuellar's ship went 

 ashore. His description of the strand and headlands : "A strand of 

 -fine sand, surrounded by immense cliffs, something never before seen," 

 would rather indicate the northern extremity of the strand, where 

 the hills in the immediate vicinity of the strand are higher than those 

 in the vicinity of Streedagh point. On the other hand, the vicinity 

 of Ahamlish must probably be accepted as fixing the adjacent stretch 

 of strand as that where Cuellar's ship came ashore. From other 

 sources of information furnished by the State Papers, Ireland, 1588, 

 the date of the wreck must have been about the 14th or 15th Sep- 

 tember. That the other two sliips, Cuellar's consorts, were wrecked 

 ■close by, is implied by his description. 



IN'OTES Olf [N'AItEATIVE. 



1. " When the day broke I commenced moving little by little in 

 search of a monastery of friars situated near by." — (Narrative, 

 p. 198.) 



As regards this monastery, the only indication remaining relative 

 to the existence of such a building is that given by the Ordnance 

 Survey Map of the Co. Sligo, sheet 2, which marks the existence of 

 an old " Church" quite near the strand, and not far from a house 

 called "Rindally Cottage." 



^ "WTiat is probably meant by " lead" here is what is usually known as " black 

 lead," tbat is, graphite, which being present in the cast-iron balls, would resist the 

 action of the sea-water, and thus coat the iron not yet acted on by the sea-water. 



