Spanish Armada in Ireland and the Antrim coast which appear on the reverse side of sterling banknotes issued by the First Trust Bank in Northern Ireland. The final published novel of Anthony Burgess, "", features a protagonist who is specifically stated to be descended from Spanish survivors who remained in Ireland. Spanish Armada in Ireland The Spanish Armada in Ireland refers to the landfall made upon the coast of Ireland in September 1588 of a large portion of the 130-strong fleet sent by Philip II to invade England. Following its defeat at the naval battle of Gravelines the Armada had attempted to return home
3rd Spanish Armada a large naval armada directed at England. The cost had almost been ruinous to Spain and nearly bankrupted the country's finance again. It was not as bad as the previous years failure however since gold and silver bullion was still arriving in numbers from the Americas. The insurmountable debt rose and soon after the campaign there was a further arrangement to clear it. The failure of the Armada effectively ceded the naval initiative to England who were still able to launch expeditions to Spain without much hindrance. For the first time in English naval history, effective offshore blockades were launched