This fictional story is partly based on a real event, the tragic sinking of the Spanish warship Girona on the stormy coast of present Northern Ireland in 1588, and a real treasure, part of which represents the personal belongings of some 1,300 noblemen, soldiers and sailors who were lost in the disaster. One of the items recovered from the wreck during 1968-69 was this winged salamander pendant made of gold and originally set with nine rubies. Though it's less than 5 cm long, the workmanship is exquisite. At that time the salamander was considered good luck and was thought to protect a vessel from fire. Sadly, it was no defense against storm. But four centuries later it does play a central role in this story. (The original pendant is now part of an exhibit on the Girona at the National Museum of Northern Ireland in Belfast.) The discovery of the Girona is documented in "Treasures of the Armada" by Robert Sténuit, 1973, E. P. Dutton & Co., 282 p.
FINDINGS—The Settings
The novel is set mainly in the area of Dingle, County Kerry in southwestern Ireland, and somewhat on the northern coast of Northern Ireland, County Antrim, Great Britain. Most of the locations named in this story are real. It might help the reader to see the landscape at two key locations not so readily found on the map.
The protagonist's grandmother came from Ballycurrane, a tiny settlement on northwestern coast of Kerry at the foot of Mount Brandon. The cove or inlet there is perhaps better known as the mouth of Brandon Creek, where it empties into the Atlantic. It's legendary as the place where Saint Brendan is said to have set out to discover the New World in the 6th century.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13877445@N06/34844220323
The other site of interest is the Chimney Tops and Lacada Point where the Girona came to grief. Just north of Bushmills and the Giant's Causeway, the Chimney Tops are spires of basalt that look down on the black finger of rock where the shipwreck occurred. It's hard to imagine a more dramatic setting for the tragedy. And it inspired this story.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/17686063@N07/8280901406
The novel is set mainly in the area of Dingle, County Kerry in southwestern Ireland, and somewhat on the northern coast of Northern Ireland, County Antrim, Great Britain. Most of the locations named in this story are real. It might help the reader to see the landscape at two key locations not so readily found on the map.
The protagonist's grandmother came from Ballycurrane, a tiny settlement on northwestern coast of Kerry at the foot of Mount Brandon. The cove or inlet there is perhaps better known as the mouth of Brandon Creek, where it empties into the Atlantic. It's legendary as the place where Saint Brendan is said to have set out to discover the New World in the 6th century.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13877445@N06/34844220323
The other site of interest is the Chimney Tops and Lacada Point where the Girona came to grief. Just north of Bushmills and the Giant's Causeway, the Chimney Tops are spires of basalt that look down on the black finger of rock where the shipwreck occurred. It's hard to imagine a more dramatic setting for the tragedy. And it inspired this story.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/17686063@N07/8280901406
FINDINGS—The Author
V. E. Smith is a retired marine scientist who received a Ph.D. at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Following that, he served as a captain in the U.S. Army in Korea. For most of his professional career he worked on the Great Lakes as an environmental researcher and consultant. He currently lives in Boulder, Colorado.
V. E. Smith is a retired marine scientist who received a Ph.D. at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Following that, he served as a captain in the U.S. Army in Korea. For most of his professional career he worked on the Great Lakes as an environmental researcher and consultant. He currently lives in Boulder, Colorado.