Grace O’Malley

 

 

Grace O’ Malley was not called ‘The Sea Queen of Connaught’ for nothing. This formidable woman, who was born into a noble Irish sea-faring family, came to control an entire fleet of ships, five castles and landholdings, and even got away with insulting the most powerful female of the age – Queen Elizabeth I.

 

 

In Irish folklore there are stories of a fearsome pirate named Grace O’Malley. She lived in 16th century Ireland and her exploits at sea earned her nicknames such as ‘Pirate Queen’ and ‘The Sea Queen of Connaught’. Her adventures seem like the stuff of fiction, but in fact, Grace O’Malley was a real person, fighting against the social norms of the time to become the most infamous female pirate in Irish history.

Grace O’Malley is known in folklore by many different translations and variations of her name: Granuaile, Gráinne Mhaol, Gráinne Ui Mháille. However it is the anglicized version, Grace O’Malley, that she is most commonly linked to. She was born in County Mayo, Ireland, in 1530 into Irish nobility. Her father was Owen ‘Black Oak’ O’Malley, legendary sea captain and chieftan of the O’Malley clan, her mother was Margaret and she had a half-brother named Dónal na Piopa, which translates to Donal of the Pipes. They lived on Clare Island, an area which has become synonymous with Grace and her escapades. The O’Malley’s were a powerful family, their clan controlling what is now known as the Barony of Murrisk.

 

Destined to Sail

As a child, Grace O’Malley loved nothing more than to sit with her father, listening to his adventures of the high seas and learning from his vast experience of sailing and international trade. Sometimes she would visit his ship, stand firm on the bridge, bark orders at the crew and stare out to sea, dreaming of a sea-faring future. Grace O’Malley was no ordinary child. She knew she was destined to sail. She begged time after time to be allowed to join her father on one of his trading voyages to Spain, but her mother would argue that sailing was a most unbecoming pursuit for a young girl. But Grace was determined. When her mother, hoping to deter her, warned that her long hair would get tangled in the ropes aboard the ship, she simply cut it all off. Little Grace then put on her brother’s clothes and declared herself ready to sail. Her half-brother teased her, cruelly naming her ‘Gráinne Mhaol’, which translates to ‘Bald Grace’, but she didn’t care. Perhaps endeared by her persistence, her mother gave in and Grace got her first taste of life at sea. 

 

Learning the Ropes

Grace proved to be a handy crew member. Legend has it that her father told her that if ever the ship were attacked, she should hide below decks. On one occasion, the O’Malley ship was stormed by British pirates. Being a natural rebel she ignored her father’s instructions and instead scaled the rigging. This act of defiance ended up saving her father’s life. From her unique viewpoint she saw a pirate creeping up behind her father with his dagger raised, in a moment of courage she leapt through the air and landed on the pirate. The noise she made on her descent caused such a distraction that the O’Malley crew quickly took control and won the battle. 

In 1546, aged 16, it was arranged that Grace married Dónal an-Chogaidh (Donal of the Battle) O’Flaherty. This union made political sense as Grace was the daughter of a chieftain and O’Flaherty was an heir to the O’Flaherty title, the clan that hoped to eventually rule lar Connacht. They wed in his castle in Bunowen, Connemara. O’Flaherty was from a sea-faring background too and consequently had a fleet of ships. It didn’t take long for Grace to assume control of the ships and the surrounding waters. It was highly rare at this time for women to have any power whatsoever, let alone be in charge of an entire fleet of ships, however it was Grace’s knowledge of politics, tribal disputes and trading that won her the respect and acceptance she had come to expect. In between her many voyages she managed to make time for a more traditional role, becoming a mother. Between 1547 and 1552 the couple had three children; two sons, Owen and Murrough, and a daughter, Margaret. 

In 1560 O’Flaherty died in battle. Around this time Grace and her army of men ran into trouble with rival clan, the Joyces. O’Flaherty had taken a fortress belonging to the Joyce clan and once they learnt of his death they decided to reclaim it. The castle was dubbed ‘Cock’s Castle’ by the Joyces due to Dónal’s attitude problem – something he was notorious for. When the siege began at the fortress Grace showed her resourcefulness by allegedly melting lead from the roof and pouring it onto the heads of the attacking soldiers, a move which bizarrely impressed the Joyces. Suffice to say Grace’s gang won the battle and the fortress remained under her control, with one difference, the Joyces humbly renamed it ‘Hen’s Castle’.  

 

A Career in Piracy

Following her husband’s death Grace returned to O’Malley territory, Clare Island, taking with her many O’Flaherty supporters that had become loyal to her. Being a widow she was legally entitled to a portion of her late husband’s estate, but for some unknown reason the O’Flahertys were against this and wished to support her at their own discretion. This did not suit Grace one bit. Determined to make her own fortune she took her fleet of ships and an estimated 200 followers to sea and embarked on her career in piracy. From her headquarters she would monitor passing ships and impose a unique tax on anyone daft enough to sail near her shores. Trading ships would often pass by and Grace’s ships would surround them, storm abroad and demand money or cargo in return for safe passage. Resistance was futile. Once the tax was paid, Grace’s ships would retreat back to their bays and await the next opportunity. 

With Clare Island and Clew Bay under Grace’s control she effectively became a chieftan of the O’Malley clan. However, there was one castle she wanted to acquire, the nicely concealed Rockfleet. This belonged to Richard-an-Iarainn Burke, known locally as ‘Iron Richard’ due to the coat of mail he always wore. In 1566 she approached him and they agreed to marry under Brehon Law, this meant that the marriage would only last a year and either party could terminate it when the time was up. And indeed, Grace did just that, according to legend ending the marriage by saying ‘I release you’ to Richard. By the end of that year she’d taken control of Rockfleet castle and moved her ships and army in. During their short marriage they produced a son, Theobald whom legend would have us believe was delivered onboard a ship minutes before a battle took place, with Grace springing into action shortly after giving birth. Her attacks on ships, islands and even fortresses across shorelines continued for the next 20 years, her legend becoming more interwoven into Irish history. Grace’s piracy empire continued to grow, besides the fleets of ships, five castles and landholdings, she also had herds of cattle which was a sure sign of wealth. However, the English were starting to invade Ireland, taking land by force or bribery. Grace could not be tempted by the offer of an English title and rebelled against their invasion. 

In 1584 Englishman, Sir Richard Bingham, was appointed governor of Connaught. His first act was to usurp all remaining chieftans and clans and eliminate the power they had amassed. Grace O’Malley was his biggest target. He successfully removed most of her possessions and even sent away her followers, forcing her into poverty. Strangely, he then informed Grace he wished to call a truce. Upon her arrival at his headquarters he seized her and condemned her to death, luckily she was rescued and managed to flee. A few years passed and Bingham was still set on capturing Grace. In 1586 his troops brutally killed her son, Owen, letting her know she wasn’t forgotten. Grace, now in her late 50, returned to her life at sea. Around this time the Spanish Armada was fighting the English around the Scottish and Irish coastlines. It is unknown whether Grace fought alongside the English or was only fighting to protect what little she had left. 

By the early 1590s Bingham was still pursuing the ‘pirate queen’. The Irish rebellion against the English was growing and naturally Grace would be a huge threat. He cowardly reported her to Queen Elizabeth I for treason, calling her ‘the nurse to all rebellions in Ireland’, this seemed to have no effect, however. His next move was to get Grace’s son, Murrough, to side with him. He then set about trying to seize Grace again, this time at sea. Grace, in her element and still a force to be reckoned with, fought back and seized an English ship. In 1592 she wrote a letter to Queen Elizabeth I and demanded she acknowledge the injustices perpetrated by Bingham, however this was ignored by the monarch.  

In 1593 Bingham captured Theobold and Grace’s half-brother and charged them with treason. This was the final straw. With their lives on the line she made a decision of historical significance. She decided to travel to London and demanded an audience with the queen. The journey was dangerous, with numerous English ships plaguing the sea, but Grace’s expertise got her safely to shore. It is not known why Queen Elizabeth agreed to meet with Grace, perhaps she was intrigued by this fierce female warrior. It is written that during their meeting Grace sneezed, and a courtier politely handed her an expensive lace handkerchief, she then wiped her nose and threw it in the fireplace. Queen Elizabeth scolded her, exclaiming the handkerchief was a gift and should have been put in her pocket after use, Grace argued she would not keep a soiled handkerchief, implying she was far cleaner than the queen. This was met with silence, and then suddenly the queen roared with laughter. After this, Queen Elizabeth ordered the release of Grace’s family and the return of her possessions. 

Grace O’Malley sailed triumphantly back to Ireland and to her life of piracy. She died in 1603 at Rockfleet castle, aged 73 years old.