Spanish Head is a promontory on the southwestern coast of the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = " O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europ ...

, rising over 100 m from sea level. The island of the Calf of Man lies to the southwest of the head, separated from it by the

Calf Sound Calf Sound () is a body of water which separates the Calf of Man island from the mainland of the Isle of Man. The sound - technically a strait A strait is an oceanic landform connecting two seas or two other large areas of water. The surfa ...

. The name of the promontory originates from the

Manx Manx (; formerly sometimes spelled Manks) is an adjective (and derived noun) describing things or people related to the Isle of Man: * Manx people **Manx surnames * Isle of Man It may also refer to: Languages * Manx language, also known as Manx ...

name for the type of rock in the area, based on the

word "speeiney" meaning "bark", "strip" or "peel" reflecting the natural fissility of the

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

on the promontory. The Manx word for "Spain" is a similar word "Spaainey" which led to a later folk tale linking the name to a myth of a ship from the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an a ...

becoming wrecked in the area, though there is no archaeological evidence, or written accounts to support such a wreck, and the route of the Armada did not pass through the Irish Sea.

External links

Government photograph of the cliffs
* Headlands of the Isle of Man {{IsleofMan-geo-stub