Spanish Point () is a village in the parish of
Milltown Malbay
Milltown Malbay (), also Miltown Malbay, is a town in the west of County Clare, Ireland, near Spanish Point, County Clare, Spanish Point. The population was 921 at the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census.
Name
There is a townland on the souther ...
in
County Clare
County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...
on the west coast of Ireland. It has many holiday homes, and in winter a significantly smaller population. The Beach, over a kilometre long, has Blue Flag Status and is suitable for swimming and surfing. It is also one of the better known surf breaks in County Clare. The name refers to the wrecking of some ships of the
Spanish Armada
The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...
off the coast.
[ (archival records)]
History
On the coast, from
Milltown Malbay
Milltown Malbay (), also Miltown Malbay, is a town in the west of County Clare, Ireland, near Spanish Point, County Clare, Spanish Point. The population was 921 at the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census.
Name
There is a townland on the souther ...
, Spanish Point was named after the Spanish who died here in 1588, when many ships of the
Spanish Armada
The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...
were wrecked during stormy weather. Those who escaped from their sinking ships and made it safely to land were later executed by Sir Turlough O'Brien of
Liscannor
Liscannor () is a coastal village in County Clare, Ireland. It is located between Lahinch and Doolin, close to the Cliffs of Moher. As of the 2022 census it had a population of 135.
Geography
Lying on the west coast of Ireland, on Liscan ...
and
Boethius Clancy,
High Sheriff of Clare.
It was not known by the English authorities in Ireland whether the Spanish sailed this way around Ireland because their ships were damaged and the storm prevented them from sailing back the quick way or if it was part of a Spanish plan to invade Ireland.
As news of the English victory had not reached
William FitzWilliam, the
Lord Deputy of Ireland
The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...
, he had issued a blanket command that all Spanish found in Ireland were to be executed with their ships and treasure seized.
The executed Spanish were buried in a mass grave in an area of Spanish Point known locally as Tuama Na Spáinneach (Tomb of the Spaniards). Despite this, there was no archaeological evidence for the claim until 2015 when a group of historians investigating the location of the wreck of ''San Marcos'' stated they had found a mass grave under Spanish Point which contained the bodies of the executed Spanish sailors.
Hotel
Spanish Point is home of the
Atlantic Hotel which was built in 1810 and was promoted as the largest hotel in the British Isles. The hotel closed in 1930 as it had relied upon members of the British nobility visiting for income. This was as a result of the
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...
and subsequent establishment of the
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...
that dissuaded the wealthy from travelling to Spanish Point.
Sport
Spanish Point has a nine-hole golf course which was founded in 1896, making it one of the oldest courses in Ireland.
Golf course Spanish Point
Spanish Point Beach has Blue Flag Status, with facilities and free parking, and is a top surfing spot in Clare. Celtic Surf School is based here.
See also
* List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
{{County Clare
Towns and villages in County Clare