Strabane explorer made historic Spanish Armada discovery

FRIENDS and family of Archie Jack, a Strabane man whose name will live forever in Ireland’s maritime history books, came together over the weekend to celebrate the first anniversary of his death.

Last year, the 84-year-old passed away in his tent on the beach at Kinnagoe Bay – the same place where, in 1971, he became the first person to find evidence of a Spanish Armada shipwreck.

Mr Jack’s discovery – which occurred when he came upon a rusty cannon lodged in the Atlantic floor – arrived nine years after divers from the City of Derry Sub Aqua Club began searching the waters in 1968.

In the decade that followed, the decaying carcass of the Armada vessel, known as La Trinidad Valencer, was searched incessantly, and its materials, which had been submerged since September 1588, were salvaged and are now on display in the Tower Museum, Derry and the Ulster Museum, Belfast.

After his famous find of the 16th century ship, Mr Jack’s name became legendary along the west coast.

For the latter portion of his life, he spent his summers camped out in his iconic tent along the sandy shoreline where he made his defining discovery, dedicating his days to the things he loved: Swimming, collecting shells and chatting with locals and visitors.

Fittingly, it was in this same tent that he passed away in his sleep in 2023, something he had often told his family and friends would, for him, represent an ideal death.

With the great story of this marvellous man in mind, Mr Jack’s friends and family made their way to the Inishowen Peninsula last Wednesday to celebrate his life and achievements.

Paying tribute to Mr Jack, his close friend Chris Wolfe said, “He always said he would love to die there in his sleep, and he got his wish.

“To come back a year after he left us was a profoundly moving occasion.

“Again, it gave us time to reflect on what Archie meant to the community here around Kinnagoe Bay.

“He was known by thousands, and probably loved by as many,” said Mr Wolfe.

Commemorative monuments to Mr Jack’s life now sit prominently on the beach at Kinnegoe Bay, including a stone table and cross made from driftwood.