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23rd Jul 2015

Pics: Divers discover badass relics of Irish history off the coast of Sligo

Blast from the past

Carl Kinsella

blast from the past, eh? Cannons? Eh?

Four cannons from a Spanish Armada ship that sank off the coast of Ireland in the sixteenth century were brought ashore last weekend.

The cannons are an undoubtedly a badass relic of Spain’s attempt to invade Great Britain in 1588. Armada commanders made many navigational errors in their attempted escape from Great Britain, causing them to crash into Irish shores and ultimately wreck themselves.

These photos, taken by Alan Hill, offer an insight into the impressive level of detail that went into the cannons. One cannon, for example, appears to depict St. Peter holding the keys to heaven’s gate.

Ornate or not, there was some serious firepower in these babies.

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The people of Grange, Co. Sligo are hoping that the National Museum will return the cannons in order for them to be displayed nearer to the location of their discovery.

Member of the local association, Derek Gilroy, told The Irish Times “If you wanted a centre for the Cliffs of Moher, there would be no point having it in Merrion Square.”

cannon pt 2

 

Considering these Spanish guns have spent the past 426 years underwater, it’s amazing to see how good of nick they’re in.

 

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Irish