Lights... Armada ...action!
Irish filmmakers tell story of 1588 fleet shipwrecked off Sligo
FOUR centuries after the Spanish Armada smashed off the rocks along Ireland’s West coast, a Sligo team is bringing the story to the big screen.
After a failed attempt to dethrone England’s Protestant Queen Elizabeth, the 130-ship fleet sailed into treacherous Irish waters on its way back to Spain in the summer of 1588.
More than 5,000 soldiers and seamen died as 26 vessels were shipwrecked.
Three of those boats carrying 1,000 men washed up on Streedagh Beach in Sligo – where a tale as extraordinary as the shipwreck itself began.
Armada Captain Francisco de Cuell was lucky to survive the disaster – but faced a death sentence in his native Spain for skipping duty. The fugitive soldier set off on a voyage across Ireland where he came up against robbery, kidnapping – and even the prospect of marriage – before eventually escaping through Scotland to Antwerp a year after landing here.
The soldier wrote a letter documenting his adventures which became the script for Armada 1588: Shipwreck & Survival a movie produced by TG4 documentary maker Micheal O Domhnaill and Spanish Armada Ireland group.
The Sligo based producer told the Irish Mirror: “Captain Francisco de Cuell was sentenced to death after being court martialed for dereliction of duty and he wrote this letter to explain his actions.
“So we had this firsthand historical documentation that we’ve brought to life. It’s a great story that has everything.
“There’s that swashbuckling Pirates Of The Caribbean feel, there’s tragedy and there’s redemption for this guy who is on his knees and somehow managed to face the challenges before making it home.”
It was made with just €100,000 funding from Sligo County Council but the compelling story managed to attract some top class talent.
Michael said: “The Armada is the great untold story of Irish history.
“Because of the nature of this story, we got people on board who were really passionate and willing to go the extra mile.
“We got in touch with a Spaniard living in Canada who is head of a big production company that has worked on massive movies like Star Wars.
“Because of his heritage he was really interested in the project and came on board for a fraction of what he would usually charge. “People have commented on the quality of the CGI, it is really amazing.”
But technology could not have competed with the effects created by a gale force storm that hit while they were filming.
The wild weather proved to be the perfect way to get Spanish actor Fernando Corral, who plays Captain de Cuell, in character.
Micheal said: “Fernando spent the week sodden to the skin.
“His character is washed up on the beach in a storm, robbed and stripped naked by natives and ends up wandering around Ireland naked in a bitterly cold winter, picking up clothes as he goes.
“We had 15 hot water bottles on the go after every scene. So as we yelled ‘cut’, the production team were straight over to cover him in blankets and dry him off for the next scene.”
■ Armada 1588: Shipwreck & Survival is available to download for €5 from vimeo.
All proceeds go towards funding the construction of a Spanish Armada Visitor Centre in Sligo.
Because of his heritage he came on board for a fraction of his normal fee MICHEAL O DOMHNAILL
YESTERDAY