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1588 AD May: Mary, Queen of Scots, the French Stuart Catholic Queen, who had been imprisoned in England for 18 years, by her second - cousin, Elizabeth 1st the Welsh Norman English Queen, had now been executed by her, and Phillip II, the King of Spain, saw England as a total lost cause for any chance of Catholic Emancipation.

July: Phillip 11 the King of Spain, sent his Spanish Armada from Lisbon, which was composed of 130 Ships, 31,000 men and 2,400 canons to besiege England.

September 2nd: The Spanish Armada ran into Great Storms, and 25 of their ships were wrecked around the Irish coast, near Blasket Sound, between the Blasket Islands, situated 3 miles from the end of the Dingle Peninsula, and Dungiven on the mainland, including the Santa Maria de la Rosa, which was lost on Dunmore Head near Ventry in Co. Kerry in the south - west of the Munster Province with a great loss of life. The Don Juan, the flagship under its Captain and Admiral of the Armada, Juan / Martinez de Recalde, was the first of the Spanish ships to successfully arrive into Ireland. (He had landed the Spanish force a few years earlier, who had been slaughtered at Smerwick) 7 of the other Spanish ships, sought shelter on the River Shannon, but were not allowed to take on any fresh water, by the English authorities in charge there.

September 5th: The Spanish were to lose 6 of their 7 ships and thousands of their crew members, and the victims were then buried at Spanish Point to the north of Milltown - Malbay in Co. Clare in the north - west of Munster Province. Two of the English agents who had well and truly sold out their Irish heritage, Sir Turlough O Brien of Liscannor Castle, and Boetius Clancy the appointed English Sheriff of Co. Clare, also exterminated the rest of the survivors of the Zuniga, which was anchored on Liscannor Bay, under instructions from Sir Richard Bingham the English appointed Governor in Co. Clare. (He had previously threatened torture and death, to anyone who harboured any of the Spanish castaways.) (Their bodies also were buried at Spanish Point.) The La Rata, under the command of Don Alonso de Leyva. which was the largest of the Spanish Galleons, had foundered further north at Belmullet in Co. Mayo in the mid - west of the Connacht Province, while another 3 of their ships were wrecked further north still, at Grange in Co. Sligo in the north - west of Connacht, and many Spanish lives were lost there also. (The Santa Maria de la Rosa, had foundered on Blasket Island, were they buried the Spanish Prince of Ascule.) Meanwhile on Clare Island, 100 survivors made it to the shore from the Gran Grin, but they were also subsequently slaughtered by Dubhdarach “Roe” O Malley, a kinsman to Grace O Malley, the Pirate Queen there. Near Galway, Teague "na Buile" O Flaherty captured the crew from the Conception, and at Killala Melaghlin Mac Cabb killed another 80 of the crew who were all from another of their ships, and all survivors were rounded up wherever they could be found, and were then executed all under the orders of Sir Richard Bingham the English appointed Governor in Connacht for Elizabeth 1st. The Trinidad Valencera, had sailed around the top of Scotland, with a crew of 500 men on board, including those from the previously destroyed Barco de Amburgo, and all were physically in a very bad way, and under the command of Col. Alonzo de Luzon they anchored in Glenaguiney Bay. They disembarked and wandered around the region there for 12 days, until they finally surrendered to Henry and Richard Hovenden / de Offington / Ovington and their men, who promised them they would be looked after. They took them towards Castle Berte, which was the stronghold of Sean O Docherty, who was then the "Northern" Ui Niaill Cenel Conaill Lord of Inishowen. After first taking all of their arms, they suddenly turned on them, and stole whatever they could from them, and many were also killed during this particular conflict. (Only 57 out of the 130 ships, that had originally set out from Spain, and only 10,000 of the 31,000 men who been on board, made it back to Spain, with some of the survivors left behind in Ireland, who inter - married with many of the girls from the Irish Septs, possibly becoming the "Black Irish" there.

During this period, Brian O Rourke "The O Rourke," the father of Brian “Oge”- the Younger O Rourke, the Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Dal Cuinn Ui Briuin Breifne Chief from Co. Leitrim in the north of the Connacht Province, was away fighting against the English Military Forces under Sir Richard Bingham. the English appointed Governor in Connacht. (His wife, was able to assist Francesco de Cuellar to hide away.) Eventually, Brian O Rourke was to be defeated and driven out to of Connacht and Ireland, to seek refuge in Scotland, were James V1 was now the French Stuart King of Scotland, who would later become the future James 1st King of England after the death of Elizabeth 1st, (He handed him over to Elizabeth 1st.)

Hugh "Dubh" O Donnell "The O Donnell", the aged son of Manus O Donnell, arrived into Dublin, once again, to see his young son Hugh "Roe" O Donnell, and brought with him 30 officers from the Trinidad Valencera, and handed them over to Lord Fitz William the newly appointed English Lord Deputy in Ireland, endeavouring to gain the release of his young son, Hugh "Roe" O Donnell from the Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 acre). When he informed his young son, that the English Military Forces had previously slaughtered the other 300 members of the crew, and that all of their bodies had been flung into a bog, he was greatly upset with his father, although he understood the reasons behind his actions. (Naturally nothing came of this condescending conciliatory gesture.)

November 4^th: Lord Fitz William the new English appointed Lord Deputy in Ireland went north to the Ulster Province, seeking out any remaining living members of the Spanish crews, and returned before Christmas Day instead, with further Irish hostages, Sean O Docherty, the Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Dal Cuinn "Northern" Ui Niaill Cenel Conaill Lord of Inishowen, and Eogan / Owen mac Toole O Gallagher, the young Eogan O Gallagher's father, who was already being held as a hostage with "Red" Hugh O Donnell in Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 Acre).

Myler Magrath, the notorious turncoat and Episcopalian Archbishop of Cashel, who had also well and truly sold out his heritage for personal financial gains, was brought in to the Dublin Castle prison, to try and persuade young Hugh "Roe" O Donnell to conform to the Church of England and to join in with the English cause in Ireland. He continued to rebuff them both, and the young Art Kavanagh, and Hugh O Toole, who was a brother to Felim O Toole from Castle Kevin, and a brother - in - law to Fiach mac Hugh O Byrne the Irish Chieftain in Southern Leinster, from whom they had been taken as hostages also, were put in with him. His original two compatriots, the young Eogan O Gallagher and Donnell Mac Sweeney, had previously managed to escape, organized by his foster - father, Eogan mac Toole O Gallagher, the father of young Eogan, but Lord Fitz William was also too frightened of Elizabeth 1st to let young Red Hugh O Donnell to escape also, as he was too important. Donnell Mac Sweeney and the young Eogan O Gallagher, on escaping from Dublin Castle, had previously reached the Vale of Glenmalure in Co. Wicklow in the south - east of Southern Leinster, were Fiach mac Hugh O Byrne had given them two horses, but Donnell Mac Sweeney's had gone lame, and he was to be recaptured heading back to the north at Drogheda in Co. Louth in the north - east of Northern Leinster, while on the other hand, Eogan O Gallagher was able to successfully continue on to Co. Donegal in the north - west of the Ulster Province.

Teige Mac Namara the Heberian Dal gCais Ui Caisin Chief of the West Clan Culien in Co. Clare in the north - west of the Munster Province was hanged at Galway this year. He was a son of Donnell "Reagh" Mac Namara, the son of Cuvea Mac Namara, the son of Donough Mac Namara, the son of Rory Mac Namara.

Shrah Castle, was built this year, situated a half a mile west of Tullamore in Co. Offaly in the north - west of Southern Leinster to be also used against the Irish Septs there, and the ruins are also still there to be seen today. - Elizabeth 1st's hanger on, Sir Walter Raleigh, was appointed the English Warden of Youghal, on the east coast of Co. Cork in Southern Munster until 1589 AD and given 3 times the usual grant of territory there, including the fertile Blackwater Valley, between Youghal and Lismore. His friend, Edmund Spenser, who was to write the "Faerie Queen," had eventually moved into the Kilcolman Castle of the Fitz Gerald Desmonds in Co. Kerry in the south - west of Munster. - Richard Boyle who was to become the richest Englishman in Ireland, was appointed the English 1st Earl of Cork in Co. Cork in Southern Munster. - Mac Ennis / Mac Guinness, the Lord of Iveagh in the Ulster Province, built Newcastle, were the River Shinna flows into the sea in Co. Down in the south - east of Ulster.

Luke Wadding, the future Anglo - Irish Catholic historian and philosopher, was born in Waterford in Co. Waterford in the south - east of the Munster Province, and would become a Franciscan monk, and compile a great deal of Irish History in the future assisted by both the Irish Septs and the Anglo - Irish.

+On to 1589 AD - 1590 AD

Situated on the western bank of the Hunter River, midway between Muswellbrook and Denman the doorway to the Heart of Australia's "Horse Capital" in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales., Australia.

John & Sue Markham

RAINBOW FARMS 603 Roxburgh Road., Muswellbrook., 2333.

02 65 479 100 - Fax: 02 65 479 102 E - Mail: www.rainbowfarms@bigpond.com