264 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



The vessel, on September 11th, is running south-east with a south-west 

 wind, i.e. wind abeam, and certain islands are sighted. These may be the 

 Ox and Cow, off Dursay, now called the Bull and Cow, or they may be the 

 Quelms. These latter undoubtedly are the Skelligs, but I can find no 

 derivation for the word. The Harhour of Vicey is a wild anchorage in the 

 Blasket Sound. From the direction from which the Spaniards approached it, 

 the entrance presents a fearful scene of breakers, thundering over rocks and 

 sunken reefs ; and considering they had no detailed charts, and that the tide 

 causes the sea to break heavily where there are in reality no rocks, the passage 

 was enough to try the nerves of the bravest. With regard to the name 

 Vicey, Vich is an Irish diminutive: one of the larger Blasket Islands is 

 still called Vickillaun. After first sighting the islands, the ship was driven 

 north-west by a southerly gale ; and when again they made land, on 

 September loth, they were to the north-west of the Blaskets, and running 

 south with a westerly wind. I think it probable that the islands they first 

 sighted were Teraght and Tooskert of the Blasket group, or the Skelligs — not 

 the Bull and Cow, as otherwise it is difficult to understand how the ship 

 could have been so far north, as stated, on the 13th. It is important to note 

 that in 1588 the variation of the compass in these latitudes was 10° E. ; now 

 it is about 20° W. 



The ship that our narrator met at sea was the San Juan, vice-flagship of 

 the squadron of Portugal, 1050 tons, 50 guns, and (before the fighting) 500 

 men. She was commanded by Don Martinez de Eecalde, Admiral of the 

 whole Armada (the Duke of Medina Sidonia being Military Commander). 

 Eecalde, no doubt, knew the Kerry coast well, for some years previously he 

 commanded the squadron that landed the unfortunate expedition which met 

 its fate at Fort del Oro in Smerwick Harbour. 



With these explanatory remarks, Aramburu may tell his own story. 



On the 11th [of September], two hours before daybreak, going with a fresh 

 south-west breeze on the south-east tack, land was sighted [not more than] a 

 league off. As it was very murky and cloudy, some said these were the Drossy 

 Islands, and others, those of the Quelms ; . . . the pilot of the quarter-deck 

 decided they were the Ox and Cow, eight leagues from the Cape. We tacked out 

 to sea with the wind S.S.W., and kept sailing to the west. At 4 o'clock in the 

 evening the wind began to freshen and the sea to get up. On the 12th we kept 

 the same course out to sea. At 5 o'clock p.m. it began to blow from the south 

 with such force that at night there was a most violent storm with a very wild sea, 

 and great darkness on account of the heavy clouds. The ship Trinidad was 

 sailing close to us, under foresail and mainsail ; but after midnight we lost sight 

 of her, though we showed her our lantern. 



