"Highly significant" relics from the Spanish Armada have been found off the coast of Ireland - thanks to a recent spell of bad weather. 
 
 Items from the merchant vessel La Juliana, which sank in 1588, have been washing up in sands off Streedagh in Co Sligo, since April. 
 
 It is believed that wreckage has begun to emerge as an unexpected side effect of severe winter storms over the last two years. 
 
 Now, rare cannons from the ship that are said to be in "excellent condition" have been discovered on the seabed. ||||| Image caption A gun from La Juliana was found resting on the sea bed 
 
 Severe winter storms over the last two years are believed to have led to the recent discovery of relics from the Spanish Armada off the Irish coast. 
 
 Cannons from the merchant vessel, La Juliana, have been found in the sands off Streedagh, County Sligo. 
 
 Timbers from the exposed wreck began washing ashore in April. 
 
 The guns date back to 1588, but are said to be in excellent condition. Two have been taken off the seabed. 
 
 One bears a dedication to St Matrona, a saint particularly venerated by the people of Catalonia and Barcelona. 
 
 It is dated 1570, the year in which La Juliana was built, putting the identity of the ship beyond doubt, the Irish government has said. 
 
 Heather Humphreys, minister for arts, heritage and the gaeltacht, has visited the wreck site. 
 
 "We have uncovered a wealth of fascinating and highly significant material, which is more than 425 years old," she said. 
 
 Image caption One gun bears this inscription to St Matrona 
 
 "This material is obviously very historically and archaeologically significant." 
 
 Two other vessels from the Armada sank nearby in violent storms in September 1588. 
 
 More than 1,000 soldiers and mariners drowned when the La Lavia and Santa Maria de Vision went down. 
 
 La Juliana traded between Spain and Italy until King Philip II commandeered it for the Armada fleet of 130 ships to invade England and take Queen Elizabeth I's throne. 
 
 The boat weighed 860 tons, carried 32 guns, 325 soldiers and had a crew of 70. 
 
 A security operation is in place to safeguard the valuable shipwreck site from treasure hunters.
– Severe weather near County Sligo, Ireland, over the past two years has stirred up the seabed and brought centuries-old treasures to the shore. Pieces of the Spanish Armada merchant ship La Juliana have been washing ashore since April, including two cannons from the ship. Experts say the weapons, made in the 1580s, are in excellent condition. "We have uncovered a wealth of fascinating and highly significant material, which is more than 425 years old," an Irish government official tells BBC. "This material is obviously very historically and archaeologically significant." La Juliana was built in 1570, and was used by the Spanish to transport goods to and from Italy. In 1588, it was one of 129 other ships used in King Phillip II’s attempted English invasion, but went down near County Sligo in bad weather. Two other Spanish Armada ships, La Lavia and Santa Maria de Vision, also shipwrecked in the area, and more than 1,000 people lost their lives. The ships may be preserved under tons of sand at the bottom of the seafloor, according to ITV.