Grace O'Malley

Gráinne Ní Mháille (c. 1530–c.1603), also known as Granuaile or Gráinne Mhaol, known in English as Grace O'Malley, is an important figure in Irish legend but was in fact a larger-than-life figure from 16th century Irish history. O'Malley is sometimes known as "The Sea Queen Of Connaught". O'Malley was born in Ireland around 1530, when Henry VIII was on the throne of England. Under the policies of the English government at the time, the semi-autonomous Irish princes and lords were left mostly to their own devices. However this was to change over the course of her life and the Tudor re-conquest of Ireland gathered pace.
She was the daughter of Owen Dubhdara O'Malley, chieftain of the O'Malley clan. The O'Malleys controlled most of what is now the barony of Murrisk in South-West County Mayo and recognized as their nominal overlords the Gaelicized Anglo-Norman Burke or de Burgo family who controlled much of what is now that county. Unusual among the Irish nobility of the time, the O'Malleys were a great seafaring family and taxed all those who fished off their coasts, which included fishermen from as far away as England.
Even as a young woman Gráinne O'Malley was involved in the business of sailing ships and international trade. She probably learned the business from her father, Owen "Dubhdara" O'Malley, who plied a busy international shipping trade. Bunowen Castle, where she lived with her first husband, Dónal an-Chogaidh O'Flaherty, was situated on the most western point in Connacht, and was apparently the first base for her shipping and trade activities. By the time of Donal's death in the early 1560's, she commanded the loyalty of so many O'Flaherty men that many of them left the area when she did, and followed her to Clare Island in Clew Bay, where she moved her headquarters.
Around the time of her first husband's death came the initial complaints to the English Council in Dublin from Galway's city leaders that O'Flaherty and O'Malley ships were behaving like pirates. Because Galway imposed taxes on the ships that traded their goods there, the O'Flahertys, led by O'Malley, decided to extract a similar tax from ships traveling in waters off their lands. O'Malley's ships would stop and board the traders and demand either cash or a portion of the cargo in exchange for safe passage the rest of the way to Galway. Resistance was met with violence and even murder. Once they obtained their toll, the O'Flaherty ships would disappear into one of the many bays in the area.
O'Malley went to the Lord Deputy of Ireland and offered two hundred fighting men to serve English interests in Ireland and Scotland. O'Malley's attacked other ships at least as far away as Waterford on the south central coast of Ireland, as well as closer to her home port in northwestern Ireland. She did not limit her attacks to other ships. She attacked fortresses on the shoreline, including Curradh Castle at Renvyle and the O'Loughlin castle in the Burren. She also attacked the O'Boyle and MacSweeney clans in their holdings in Burtonport, Killybegs and Lough Swilly. In 1593, in his letter to Queen Elizabeth I protesting Grainne O'Malley's claims against him, Richard Bingham claimed that O'Malley was "nurse to all rebellions in the province for this forty years."
O'Malley engaged in revolutionary activity against the English crown. Her castle at Clare Island was attacked by an expedition from Galway intended to get rid of her. However, they were put to flight and barely escaped. Later O'Malley was captured, but released some time afterward.

In the later 16th century English power steadily increased in Ireland and O'Malley's power was steadily encroached upon. Finally, in 1593, when her sons, Tibbot Burke and Murrough O'Flaherty, and her half-brother, Donal-na-Piopa, were taken captive by the English governor of Connaught, Sir Richard Bingham, O'Malley sailed to England to petition Elizabeth I of England for their release. Elizabeth apparently took to O'Malley, who was three years older, and the two women reached sufficient agreement for Elizabeth to grant O'Malley's requests provided that her support of many Irish rebellions and piracy against Great Britain ended. Their discussion was carried out in Latin, as O'Malley spoke no English and Elizabeth spoke no Irish.

Despite the meeting, O'Malley later returned to her old ways, though nominally directing her raids against the "enemies of England" during the Nine Years War (Ireland). She most likely died at Rockfleet Castle in 1603, the same year as Elizabeth, though the year and place of her death are disputed.

More than 20 years after her death, an English lord deputy of Ireland recalled her remarkable ability as a leader of fighting men, noting her fame and favor that still existed among the Irish people.
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I'll bet this story sound familiar to you broadway babies out there. She was the inspiration for the musical "The Pirate Queen"...you know the one Stephanie J. Block has been doing if she wasn't playing Elphaba or selling her soul to Barbie (*twitch*)

I'm rather proud of this peice...