Granuaile: Grace O'Malley - Ireland's Pirate Queen

The Story of Ireland's first female pirate predates other female pirate stories by about 200 years! The book is written by Ann Chambers; she seems to have done extensive research for this book, though there is scant reference to this particular pirate. Fortunately for all pirate lovers, Granuaile had contact with Queen Elizabeth I of England, so there are court records that correlate with the "lore and legend" of this unusual woman. Granuaile (or Grace) lived from approximately 1530 to 1603 (the same year Elizabeth I died).

This is a time in Ireland's history in which all they cherished as traditional Gaelic ways was crumbling at the feet of those who inherited the system; there was constant infighting between houses (O'Malley's, O'Donnell's, etc.), besides trying to intermarry or otherwise ingratiate your clan with that of the MacWilliam (the head of all clans), so that your son might inherit the title upon the MacWilliam's death. It was a fatally flawed system from which the rest of Europe was moving past, and coming out the stronger for it. It is also at this time that England claimed Ireland as her own, and slowly moved to institute English rule of law into what they perceived as a backward, barbarian land.

Grace, though captured and imprisoned for piracy not only is set free, but she is able to provide for two of her sons (still living after a battle for the MacWilliamship of Ireland). She takes her case directly to Elizabeth I, sails in her ships to England to meet the queen (in her mind on an equal footing) so that things will be set right in the eyes of England as to the situation. She was a mistress of land and sea without rival; even her husband's bent to her will, as did at least 2000 men who made up her power-base.

It is a good read, but prepared for the battle for the truth of Grace's adventurous life; some scholars disagree that she was real, let alone accomplished what she did. I feel the evidence is compelling for making the folklore based on a true, historic woman. Read it and tell me what you think.

I will end this with part of one of many poems about this famous/infamous woman - Granuaile of Ireland:

The dauntless race with Spartan soul
Stands on the outer wall.
Regardless of the shower of balls
That fast around them fall.
The English come with marshalled strength
And nerved with deadly hate
They fircely clash thourh friends and foes
And gain the foremost gate.

But right before them face to face
The clansmen Mayo
Start up and greet those robbers well
With thrust and sabre blow.
An rushing fierce as mountain stream
Through dark and flooded glen
Leaps to the gate, the dauntless Grace
And all her fearless men.

Hurrah! Their spears are backward borne
Their blood-red flag is down
And Sydney vanquished and pursued
Spurs hard to Newport Town.
This lesson taugh the Saxon churl
To dread a FGree-man's blow
When the dauntless Grace O'Malley
Fought and conquered in Mayo.