On September 2, 1601 33 ships sailed from Lisbon to Ireland.
In total 4,432 men of the Juan del Águila and Francisco de Toledo Tercios.
Del Águila held the supreme command of the expedition as its General Field Master.
The aim was to take the port of Cork, key southern port of the island and perfect for a landing.

A strong gale dispersed the fleet near the island of Ouessant.
The admiral, Diego Brochero, managed to reach Kinsale on October 1 with the greater part of the vessels.
Thus, most men were able to land on Irish soil, but eight or nine ships under Pedro de Zubiaur, along with 650 soldiers and most of the provisions, returned to Galicia.

As soon as they landed, the fleet returned to Spain in search of reinforcements.
Juan del Águila stayed with 3,000 men isolated in Kinsale.
Allied troops were far from the town and so they could only get 900 poorly armed rookies.
He decided to fortify the camp and wait for reinforcements.
At the entrance of the bay he had built two forts: Castle Park and Ringcurran.

An English army of 10,000 infantry, 600 horsemen and several cannons under the command of Charles Blount, VIII Baron of Mountjoy soon came.
Additionally, a small fleet blockaded the harbour.

In November, Mountjoy ordered an attack on Kinsale.
The British took the Ringcurran fort, but were ejected.
Soon after, Juan del Águila offered to surrender, which was rejected.

From the north of the island, Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone and Red Hugh O'Donnell, Lord of Tyrconnell headed toward Kinsale in command of 5,500 men.
In Spain, Pedro de Zabiaur, left port on December 7 in command of ten ships with 829 soldiers and abundant provisions and ammunition.
But a new storm caused four ships to get lost.
The rest managed to reach Castlehaven, about 48 km south of Kinsale on December 11.
The nobles of the area swore allegiance to the King of Spain (then Philip III) and provided 550 infantry and a company of cavalry.
In addition, the castles of Dunboy (near Castletownbere) and Donneshed (near Baltimore) were given to the Spanish forces.

Blount, alerted to the presence of the new Spanish force in Ireland, sent a fleet of seven ships under Admiral Richard Leveson to Castlehaven to neutralise the Spanish fleet to tighten the blockade.
On December 16, after five hours of fighting, the English were able to sink the galleon Maria Francisca, captured a merchant and forced the Spanish to scuttle the rest of their ships despite the presence of a battery of five guns.
The English having achieved success managed to withdraw under fire but lost no ships.

In the morning of that day, December 16, 1,500 men left Kinsale to try to break the siege.
They managed to destroy twenty guns and kill more than seven hundred English, but they had to return to the city, unable to cross enemy lines.
Spanish casualties were relatively low, which encouraged the troops.

A rebel army coming from the north, finally managed to link with the Spanish, then decided to help Juan del Águila.
But Zabiaur after his fleet had been destroyed at Castlehaven did not want to lose control of Baltimore which could be used for future landings.
So he divided his troops, giving the Irish army 200 auxiliary infantry while he and the other men secured positions.
In the end just under 6,500 men set off for Kinsale.

At that time, the British army had been reduced to 8,000 men due to casualties caused by the Spanish, diseases and desertions.

On January 3 the two armies met at Kinsale.
The lack of coordination between the rescue army and the besieged, coupled with the disorganization of the Irish and the superiority of the English cavalry, turned the Battle of Kinsale into a major defeat for the Spanish-Irish coalition.

The Irish began the attack, but were repulsed by the English.
Under pressure from the British army, some Irish began to abandon the fight.
After that, the English cavalry launched a counterattack, which drove them back and the Irish army fled.
The cavalry then began to chase them, causing heavy casualties among the deserters.
The intervention of the Spanish infantry prevente
On September 2, 1601 33 ships sailed from Lisbon to Ireland. In total 4,432 men of the Juan del Águila and Francisco de Toledo Tercios. Del Águila held the supreme command of the expedition as its General Field Master. The aim was to take the port of Cork, key southern port of the island and perfect for a landing.
A strong gale dispersed the fleet near the island of Ouessant. The admiral, Diego Brochero, managed to reach Kinsale on October 1 with the greater part of the vessels. Thus, most men were able to land on Irish soil, but eight or nine ships under Pedro de Zubiaur, along with 650 soldiers and most of the provisions, returned to Galicia.
As soon as they landed, the fleet returned to Spain in search of reinforcements. Juan del Águila stayed with 3,000 men isolated in Kinsale. Allied troops were far from the town and so they could only get 900 poorly armed rookies. He decided to fortify the camp and wait for reinforcements. At the entrance of the bay he had built two forts: Castle Park and Ringcurran.
An English army of 10,000 infantry, 600 horsemen and several cannons under the command of Charles Blount, VIII Baron of Mountjoy soon came. Additionally, a small fleet blockaded the harbour.
In November, Mountjoy ordered an attack on Kinsale. The British took the Ringcurran fort, but were ejected. Soon after, Juan del Águila offered to surrender, which was rejected.
From the north of the island, Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone and Red Hugh O'Donnell, Lord of Tyrconnell headed toward Kinsale in command of 5,500 men. In Spain, Pedro de Zabiaur, left port on December 7 in command of ten ships with 829 soldiers and abundant provisions and ammunition. But a new storm caused four ships to get lost. The rest managed to reach Castlehaven, about 48 km south of Kinsale on December 11. The nobles of the area swore allegiance to the King of Spain (then Philip III) and provided 550 infantry and a company of cavalry. In addition, the castles of Dunboy (near Castletownbere) and Donneshed (near Baltimore) were given to the Spanish forces.
Blount, alerted to the presence of the new Spanish force in Ireland, sent a fleet of seven ships under Admiral Richard Leveson to Castlehaven to neutralise the Spanish fleet to tighten the blockade. On December 16, after five hours of fighting, the English were able to sink the galleon Maria Francisca, captured a merchant and forced the Spanish to scuttle the rest of their ships despite the presence of a battery of five guns. The English having achieved success managed to withdraw under fire but lost no ships. 
In the morning of that day, December 16, 1,500 men left Kinsale to try to break the siege. They managed to destroy twenty guns and kill more than seven hundred English, but they had to return to the city, unable to cross enemy lines. Spanish casualties were relatively low, which encouraged the troops.
A rebel army coming from the north, finally managed to link with the Spanish, then decided to help Juan del Águila. But Zabiaur after his fleet had been destroyed at Castlehaven did not want to lose control of Baltimore which could be used for future landings. So he divided his troops, giving the Irish army 200 auxiliary infantry while he and the other men secured positions. In the end just under 6,500 men set off for Kinsale.
At that time, the British army had been reduced to 8,000 men due to casualties caused by the Spanish, diseases and desertions.
On January 3 the two armies met at Kinsale. The lack of coordination between the rescue army and the besieged, coupled with the disorganization of the Irish and the superiority of the English cavalry, turned the Battle of Kinsale into a major defeat for the Spanish-Irish coalition.
The Irish began the attack, but were repulsed by the English. Under pressure from the British army, some Irish began to abandon the fight. After that, the English cavalry launched a counterattack, which drove them back and the Irish army fled. The cavalry then began to chase them, causing heavy casualties among the deserters. The intervention of the Spanish infantry prevente
Juan del Águila