Gráinne O'Malley (, ; – ), also known as Grace O'Malley, was the head of the
Ó Máille dynasty in the west of
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, and the daughter of Eóghan Dubhdara Ó Máille.
Upon her father's death, she took over active leadership of the lordship by land and sea, despite having a brother, Dónal an Phíopa Ó Máille. Marriage to Dónal an Chogaidh (Donal "of the war") Ó Flaithbheartaigh brought her greater wealth and influence, reportedly owning as much as 1,000 head of cattle and horses. In 1593, when her sons
Tibbot Bourke and Murchadh Ó Flaithbheartaigh (Murrough O'Flaherty) and her half-brother Dónal an Phíopa ("Donal of the Pipes") were taken captive by the English governor of
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
,
Sir Richard Bingham, O'Malley sailed to England to petition for their release. She formally presented her request to Queen
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...
at her court in
Greenwich Palace
Greenwich ( , , ) is an area in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian ...
.
O'Malley is not mentioned in the Irish
annals
Annals (, from , "year") are a concise history, historical record in which events are arranged chronology, chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record.
Scope
The nature of the distinction betw ...
, so documentary evidence for her life comes mostly from English sources, especially the eighteen "Articles of Interrogatory", questions put to her in writing on behalf of Elizabeth I.
[See the supplement to Chambers, 2003.] She is mentioned in the English State Papers and in other documents of the kind.
[Lambeth Palace Library, ms. no 601, p. 10, cited in Chambers 2003, p. 85]
In
Irish folklore
Irish folklore () refers to the folktales, balladry, music, dance and mythology of Ireland. It is the study and appreciation of how people lived.
The folklore of Ireland includes banshees, fairies, leprechauns and other mythological creatures, ...
she is commonly known as ''Gráinne Mhaol'' (anglicised as Granuaile) and is a well-known historical figure in sixteenth-century
Irish history
The first evidence of human presence in Ireland dates to around 34,000 years ago, with further findings dating the presence of ''Homo sapiens'' to around 10,500 to 7,000 BC. The receding of the ice after the Younger Dryas cold phase of the Qua ...
. Her name was also rendered in contemporaneous English documents in various ways, including Gráinne O'Maly, Graney O'Mally, Granny ni Maille, Grany O'Mally, Grayn Ny Mayle, Grane ne Male, Grainy O'Maly, and Granee O'Maillie,
rarely as Grace O'Malley. In popular culture, she is often referred to as "The Pirate Queen".
Early life
O'Malley was born in Ireland around 1530, when
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
was
King of England
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers Constitutional monarchy, regula ...
and held the title
Lord of Ireland
The Lordship of Ireland (), sometimes referred to retrospectively as Anglo-Norman Ireland, was the part of Ireland ruled by the King of Kingdom of England, England (styled as "Lord of Ireland") and controlled by loyal Normans in Ireland, Anglo ...
. Under the policies of the
English government
There has not been a government of England since 1707 when the Kingdom of England ceased to exist as a sovereign state, as it merged with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. The Kingdom of Great Britain continued from 17 ...
at the time, the semi-autonomous
Irish clan
Irish clans are traditional kinship groups sharing a common surname and heritage and existing in a lineage-based society, originating prior to the 17th century. A clan (or in Irish, plural ) included the chief and his patrilineal relatives; howe ...
s were left mostly to their own devices. However, this changed over the course of O'Malley's life as the
Tudor conquest of Ireland
Ireland was conquered by the Tudor monarchs of England in the 16th century. The Anglo-Normans had Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland, conquered swathes of Ireland in the late 12th century, bringing it under Lordship of Ireland, English rule. In t ...
gathered pace.
Eoghan Dubhdara Ó Máille, her father,
and his family were based in
Clew Bay
Clew Bay (; ) is a large ocean bay on the Atlantic coast of County Mayo, Ireland. It is roughly rectangular and has more than a hundred small islands on its landward side; Ireland's best example of sunken drumlins. The larger Clare Island guar ...
,
County Mayo
County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...
. He was
Chief of the Name
The Chief of the Name, or in older English usage Captain of his Nation, is the recognised head of a family or clan ( Irish and Scottish Gaelic: ''fine'') in Ireland and Scotland.
Ireland
There are instances where Norman lords of the time like ...
of
Clan Ó Máille and
Lord
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...
of
Umhaill
Umhaill or Umhall (anglicized as Owill or Owel) was a Gaelic territory around Clew Bay in the west of what is now County Mayo, Ireland, comprising the baronies of Burrishoole (Lower Owel) and Murrisk (Upper Owel). By the 12th century, its ruli ...
, and claimed descent from
Maille mac Conall
Maille mac Conall, member of the Umhaill, ancestor and eponym of the O'Malley family of County Mayo.
Maille was a grandson of Cosgrach mac Flannbhrath, king of Ui Maill (died 812). He had an unnamed brother, from whom the O'Gormghaile family ...
. The Uí Mháille were one of the seafaring clans of Connacht, and they had built a row of castles facing the sea to protect their territory. They controlled most of what is now the barony of
Murrisk
Murrisk () is a village in County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, on the south side of Clew Bay, about 8 km west of Westport, County Mayo, Westport and 4 km east of Lecanvey.
Murrisk lies at the foot of Croagh Patrick and is the ...
in south-west County Mayo and recognised as their nominal overlords the
Mac William Íochtar
Mac William Íochtar (Lower Mac William), also known as the Mayo Burkes, were a fully Gaelicised branch of the Hiberno-Norman House of Burgh in Ireland. Mayo covered much of the northern part of the province of Connacht and the Mac William Íoc ...
branch of the Bourkes, who controlled much of what is now County Mayo. The Bourke family (Irish: d''e Búrca'') were originally
Anglo-Norman (
de Burgh
de Burgh ( , ; ; ) is an Anglo-Norman surname deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (c.1160–1206) had the surname ''de Burgh'' which was gae ...
) but by O'Malley's lifetime had become completely
Gaelicised
Gaelicisation, or Gaelicization, is the act or process of making something Gaels, Gaelic or gaining characteristics of the ''Gaels'', a sub-branch of Celticisation. The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group, traditionally viewed as having spread fro ...
. Her mother, Margaret or Maeve, was also an O'Malley. Although she was the only child of Dubhdara and his wife, O'Malley had a paternal half-brother called Dónal na Píopa. Although under
Brehon Law
Early Irish law, also called Brehon law (from the old Irish word breithim meaning judge), comprised the statutes which governed everyday life in Early Medieval Ireland. They were partially eclipsed by the Norman invasion of 1169, but underwe ...
only male members of the
derbhfine
The derbfine ( ; , from 'real' + 'group of persons of the same family or kindred', thus literally 'true kin'electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language s.vderbḟine/ref>) was a term for patrilineal groups and power structures defined in the fi ...
could inherit the mantle of
Chief of the Name
The Chief of the Name, or in older English usage Captain of his Nation, is the recognised head of a family or clan ( Irish and Scottish Gaelic: ''fine'') in Ireland and Scotland.
Ireland
There are instances where Norman lords of the time like ...
through
tanistry
Tanistry is a Gaelic system for passing on titles and lands. In this system the Tanist (; ; ) is the office of heir-apparent, or second-in-command, among the (royal) Gaelic patrilineal dynasties of Ireland, Scotland and Mann, to succeed to ...
, O'Malley "was considered to be the legal retainer of the family land and seafaring activities".
With shore castles like
Carrickkildavnet, the Clan Uí Mháille demanded and received
black rent
Gaelic Ireland () was the Gaelic political and social order, and associated culture, that existed in Ireland from the late Prehistory of Ireland, prehistoric era until the 17th century. It comprised the whole island before Anglo-Norman invasi ...
from those who fished off their coasts, which included fishermen from as far away as England. The head of the family was
known simply by his surname as Ó Máille (anglicised as The O'Malley). The local
oral tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...
has it that O'Malley, as a young girl, wished to go on a trading expedition to Spain with her father. Upon being told she could not because her long hair would catch in the ship's ropes, she cut off most of her hair to shame her father into taking her. This earned her the nickname "Gráinne Mhaol" (; from ''maol'', meaning 'bald' or 'having cropped hair'), usually anglicised as Granuaile ( ). The nickname may also come from ''Gráinne Umhaill'' ("Gráinne of Umhall", Umhall being a historical district of west
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
dominated by the Uí Mháille).
As a child she most likely lived at her family's residence of Belclare and
Clare Island
Clare Island ( or ''Oileán Chliara''), also historically Inishcleer, is a mountainous island guarding the entrance to Clew Bay in County Mayo, Ireland. Historically part of the kingdom of Umhaill, it is famous as the home of the 16th century p ...
,
but she may have been fostered by another family, as
fosterage
Fosterage, the practice of a family bringing up a child not their own, differs from adoption in that the child's parents, not the foster-parents, remain the acknowledged parents. In many modern western societies foster care can be organised by ...
was traditional among the
Gaelic nobility of Ireland
This article concerns the Gaelic nobility of Ireland from ancient to modern times. It only partly overlaps with Chiefs of the Name because it excludes Scotland and other discussion. It is one of three groups of Irish nobility, the others bei ...
.
Marriage to Ó Flaithbheartaigh

O'Malley was married in 1546 to
Dónal an Chogaidh Ó Flaithbheartaigh, ''
tánaiste
The Tánaiste ( , ) is the second-ranking member of the government of Ireland and the holder of its second-most senior office. It is the equivalent of the deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems.
The Tánaiste is appointed by the P ...
'' or heir to the
Chief of the Name
The Chief of the Name, or in older English usage Captain of his Nation, is the recognised head of a family or clan ( Irish and Scottish Gaelic: ''fine'') in Ireland and Scotland.
Ireland
There are instances where Norman lords of the time like ...
of
Clan Ó Flaithbheartaigh, which would have been a good political match for the daughter of the Chief of Clan Ó Máille. As Ó Flaithbheartaigh ''tánaiste'', Dónal an Chogaidh had expectations of one day ruling as
Lord
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...
of
Iar Connacht
West Connacht (; Modern Irish: ''Iar Connacht'') was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Galway, particularly the area known more commonly today as Connemara. The kingdom represented the core homeland o ...
, which was roughly equivalent to modern
Connemara
Connemara ( ; ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...
.
She bore three children during her marriage to Dónal an Chogaidh:
* Eóghan (Owen):
The eldest child, known to be kind and forgiving.
Sir Richard Bingham tricked him; Owen was murdered as a result, and Bingham and his troops took over his castle.
* Méadhbh (Maeve):
Said to be much like her mother, she married
Richard "the Devils Hook" Bourke
Richard "the Devils Hook" Bourke, 22nd Mac William Íochtar ( Irish: ''Risdeárd mac Deamhain an Chorráin Bourke''; ; ; died October 1601) was an Irish chieftain and noble.
Background
Richard was the son of Ricard "Deamhan an Chorráin" Bou ...
, 22nd
Mac William Íochtar
Mac William Íochtar (Lower Mac William), also known as the Mayo Burkes, were a fully Gaelicised branch of the Hiberno-Norman House of Burgh in Ireland. Mayo covered much of the northern part of the province of Connacht and the Mac William Íoc ...
(d.1601) with whom she had several children. O'Malley and Bourke were supposedly very close, more than once he saved her from death.
* Murchadh (Murrough):
Murrough was said to take after his father, for he enjoyed warfare. He often beat his sister Maeve, and refused to listen to his mother because of her sex. Many sources report that he betrayed his family and joined forces with Sir Richard Bingham after the murder of Owen. When O'Malley heard of this she swore she would never speak to Murrough again for the rest of her life, though she would often insult him. After Dónal an Chogaidh's death, O'Malley left
Iar Connacht
West Connacht (; Modern Irish: ''Iar Connacht'') was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Galway, particularly the area known more commonly today as Connemara. The kingdom represented the core homeland o ...
and returned to
Umhaill
Umhaill or Umhall (anglicized as Owill or Owel) was a Gaelic territory around Clew Bay in the west of what is now County Mayo, Ireland, comprising the baronies of Burrishoole (Lower Owel) and Murrisk (Upper Owel). By the 12th century, its ruli ...
, taking with her many Clan Ó Flaithbheartaigh warriors.
In 1564, Dónal's ambitions were dashed when his kinsman
Murrough na dTuadh Ó Flaithbheartaigh
Murrough na dTuadh Ó Flaithbheartaigh, anglicised Sir Murrough O'Flaherty (died 1593) was Chief of Iar Connacht, .
Ancestry
Great-great-great-grandson of Brian na Noinseach, son of Donall na Comthach Ó Flaithbheartaigh (who was, in turn, a ...
was appointed by Queen Elizabeth as
Chief of the Name
The Chief of the Name, or in older English usage Captain of his Nation, is the recognised head of a family or clan ( Irish and Scottish Gaelic: ''fine'') in Ireland and Scotland.
Ireland
There are instances where Norman lords of the time like ...
instead of him. In 1565, Dónal was killed in an ambush while hunting in the hills surrounding
Lough Corrib
Lough Corrib ( ; ) is a lake in the west of Ireland. The River Corrib or Galway River connects the lake to the sea at Galway. It is the largest lake within the Republic of Ireland and the second largest on the island of Ireland (after Lough Nea ...
. His assassination was, undoubtedly, part of Dónal's wider struggle against Clan Joyce for control of
Hen's Castle upon the lough. When the Joyces moved to take the Castle, thinking that Gráinne would not resist, she fought back successfully and forced Clan Joyce to retreat. O'Malley then returned to her own lands and established her principal residence upon Clare Island (now called
Granuaile's Castle
Granuaile's Castle is a tower house and National Monument located in Clare Island, Ireland.
Location
Granuaile's Castle is located on the east coast of Clare Island.
History
Granuaile's Castle was built in the 16th century by the Ó Mái ...
). She allegedly took a shipwrecked sailor as her lover. The affair lasted only briefly as he was killed by Clan MacMahon of Ballyvoy. Seeking vengeance, O'Malley attacked Clan MacMahon's stronghold of Doona Castle in
Blacksod Bay
Blacksod Bay () is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean in Erris, north County Mayo, Ireland. The long and wide bay is bounded on its western side by the Mullet Peninsula. Its eastern side includes Kiltane Parish, which extends southwards from Belmul ...
and slew her lover's murderers upon
Caher Island. Her veangence against Clan MacMahon earned Gráinne the nickname the 'Dark Lady of Doona'.
Marriage to Bourke
By 1566, O'Malley had married a second time, this time to
Risdeárd an Iarainn ("Iron Richard") Bourke, 18th
Mac William Íochtar
Mac William Íochtar (Lower Mac William), also known as the Mayo Burkes, were a fully Gaelicised branch of the Hiberno-Norman House of Burgh in Ireland. Mayo covered much of the northern part of the province of Connacht and the Mac William Íoc ...
(d.1583), his nickname deriving from his ironworks at
Burrishoole
Burrishoole () is one of the nine historical baronies of County Mayo in Ireland. It is named after the former Gaelic territory of Umhaill, which also included Murrisk barony, and roughly means "the borough or territory of Umhall" or "the owle ...
, the place of his principal castle and residence.
Tibbot, 1st Viscount Mayo, was a child of this marriage.
Still not satisfied with her revenge, O'Malley then sailed for Ballycroy and attacked the garrison at Doona Castle, overpowering the defenders and taking the castle for herself.
Her attack against the MacMahons was not the first time she interrupted someone at their prayers. Legend tells of another lord who stole property from her and fled to a church for sanctuary. She was determined to wait out the thief, maintaining that he could starve or surrender. The thief dug a tunnel and escaped, however, and the hermit who took care of the church broke his vow of silence to scold her for attempting to harm someone who had sought sanctuary. Her reply is not recorded.
More than twenty years after her death, an English
Lord Deputy of Ireland
The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...
recalled her ability as a leader of fighting men, noting the fame she still had among the
Irish people
The Irish ( or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common ancestry, history and Culture of Ireland, culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has be ...
.
Autonomous status
In 1576, O'Malley engaged in the
surrender and regrant
During the Tudor conquest of Ireland (c.1540–1603), "surrender and regrant" was the legal mechanism by which Irish clans were to be converted from a power structure rooted in clan and kin loyalties, to a late-Feudalism, feudal system under t ...
process with the Lord Deputy Sir
Henry Sidney
Sir Henry Sidney (20 July 1529 – 5 May 1586) was an English soldier, politician and Lord Deputy of Ireland.
Background
He was the eldest son of Sir William Sidney of Penshurst (1482 – 11 February 1553) and Anne Pakenham (1511 – 22 Oc ...
in respect of her lands. Because Rockfleet was over a week's march from Dublin, and as she was so often at sea, control by the Crown was very weak.
In 1593, in his letter to protest O'Malley's claims against him, Sir Richard Bingham claimed that she was "nurse to all rebellions in the province for this forty years".
Bingham was Lord President of Connacht, tasked with controlling local lords who had, until then, been mostly autonomous.
O'Malley had every reason, and used every opportunity, to limit the power of the
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland (; , ) was a dependent territory of Kingdom of England, England and then of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1542 to the end of 1800. It was ruled by the monarchs of England and then List of British monarchs ...
over her part of the country. An expedition from
Galway
Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
led by Sheriff
William Óge Martyn
William Óge Martyn (fl. 1566–1592) was the 101st Mayor of Galway.
Early life
Also known as William Óge Martyn fitz Thomas, he was a son of Thomas Óge Martyn and Evelina Lynch of Galway. Bailiff of Galway in 1566 to 1567, he was kidnapped by ...
attacked
her castle at Clare Island in March 1579. However, they were put to flight and barely escaped.
Meeting with Elizabeth
In the late 16th century, English power steadily grew in Ireland and O'Malley's power was steadily encroached upon. In June 1593, O'Malley sent a petition to the Queen. She asked her "to grant her some reasonable maintenance for the little tyme she hath to live". In return she offered "a surrender at her hands" of the lands of her two sons and those of her two surviving Bourke nephews. She asked for "free libertye during her lyve to envade with sword and fire all your highness enemyes wheresoever they are or shall be ... without any interruption of any person or persons whatsoever".
[''Grace O'Malley: the biography of Ireland's Pirate Queen'' (40th anniversary ed.), 2018] In May 1593,
Hugh Maguire (Lord of Fermanagh)
Hugh Maguire (; before 1570 – 1 March Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/> N.S. 11 March1600) was an Irish nobleman and military commander who served in the Nine Years' War (Ireland)">Nine Years' War. As Maguire clan and Lo ...
rebelled and burned
Ballymote
Ballymote () is a market town in southern County Sligo, Ireland. It is around 20 km south of Sligo town in the province of Connacht, which is in the north-west of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Ballymote lies in the Barony (Ireland), barony ...
, then under the control of Sir George Bingham. One of Maguire's men was captured and implicated Grace's son Tibbott-ne-Long in a wider Tyrone- inspired conspiracy against the English. Tibbott was promptly captured by
Sir Richard Bingham, sent to Athlone prison and charged with treason.
Grace's half-brother Dónal na Píopa was also arrested by Sir Richard Bingham and charged with the murder of some English soldiers.
Grace sailed to England to petition Queen Elizabeth I for their release. She was accompanied by Sir-Murrough-ne-Doe O'Flaherty.
Sir Richard Bingham implied that Grace sailed her own ship to England as he stated she brought over the son of Ulick Bourke of Erris and her grandnephew, the son of Tibbott Reagh Bourke who "attended uppon Grany O'Maille in her late beyinge at court".
The Earl of Ormond, cousin and favourite of the Queen, gave Grace an introduction to
Lord Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 15204 August 1598), was an English statesman, the chief adviser of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (1550–1553 and 1558–1572) and Lord High Treasurer from ...
, chief advisor to the Queen. Burghley sent O'Malley a list of questions, "eighteen articles of interrogatory" which were answered and returned.
At around the same time, Sir Richard Bingham wrote to Burghley: "There be 2 notable traitors gon over Sir Morrow ne doe and Grainy O’Maly both rebelle from their childhoode and continually in accion ... for notwithstanding that they have many pardons there ys matter ynough of late found out against them to hang them by justice".
Tradition but not the written sources states that O'Malley met with the Queen at
Greenwich Palace
Greenwich ( , , ) is an area in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian ...
, wearing a fine gown; the two of them were surrounded by guards and the members of Elizabeth's royal court.
Many of what Anne Chambers refers to as "fanciful tales" have embellished the story of the meeting in Irish story-telling tradition.
For example, O'Malley is said to have refused to bow before Elizabeth because she did not recognise her as the "Queen of Ireland".
It was said that she had a dagger concealed about her person, which guards found upon searching her. Elizabeth's courtiers were said to be very upset and worried, but O'Malley informed the Queen that she carried it for her own safety. Elizabeth accepted this and seemed untroubled. It was said that O'Malley had sneezed and was given a lace-edged handkerchief from a noblewoman. She apparently blew her nose into it and then threw the cloth into a nearby fireplace, much to the shock of the court. O'Malley informed everyone that in Ireland, a used handkerchief was considered dirty and was properly destroyed.
The Queen ordered her Privy Council to seek an explanation from Sir Richard Bingham regarding his treatment of O'Malley and her family and to investigate how her situation could best be relieved. Bingham defended himself replying "in defence of my own innocency ... to shew me instance of any one that ever I used violence against, havinge always (I thancke the Lord) had that consideracion of christian duty as I never sought any man's bloode otherwise then by course of her Maties. comon lawes to take away."
He made his thoughts clear that "how great soevr any may make her wch knoweth her not I will nevr aske but a boat of xxx tonnes to beate her ... and wth gods assistance dryve her and all her fleet into the sea."
Towards the end of September 1593 the Queen wrote to Bingham ordering the release of Tibbott-ne-Long and Dónal-ne-Píopa from prison. She also ordered for provision to be made for Grace out of her sons' estates, the amount to be deducted from their crown taxes.
She requested Bingham to allow them ownership of their lands and property and "protect them to live in peace to enjoy their livelihoods". The Queen stated that O'Malley had "departeth with great thankfulness and with many more earnest promises that she will, as long as she lives, continue a dutiful subject, yea and will employ all her power to offend and prosecute any offender against Us".
The leading authority on the life of Grace O'Malley, Anne Chambers, states that the conversation between the two women would have been in English as all the indications are that O'Malley could speak it, and not in Latin as often said.
Last years
Sir Richard Bingham disagreed with the decision of the Queen and initially did not obey her instructions, which O'Malley had personally delivered to him on her return to Ireland.
O'Malley had to threaten him "that she would else repaire againe into England" if he did not comply. Therefore, he reluctantly agreed, "to enlarge Grany O'Mally, her son Tibbott and her brother Donal na Pippe, ... upon such slender surytes."
Grace O'Malley rebuilt her fleet with three large galleys and began to return to her former life. Bingham struck, quartering a troop of his soldiers on her ships to accompany her in her voyages and later forcing her into service against some of her own kinsmen who he claimed were in rebellion.
Bingham quartered another detachment of his soldiers on Grace O'Malley's property in Burishoole, leading to her impoverishment. Unable to bear the strain, she, her sons cousins and followers "were forced to withdrawe themselves into the Province of Mounster, where they do remaine in great distresse". In April 1595 O'Malley sought the aid of the Earl of Ormond at his Elizabethan manor at
Carrick-on-Suir
Carrick-on-Suir () is a town in County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It lies on both banks of the River Suir. The part on the north bank of the Suir lies in the Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of "Carrick", in the historical B ...
.
Ormond wrote to Burghley on her behalf.
At some time between 17 April and 5 May she returned to England to plead her case with Burghley. O'Malley was rewarded when in August 1595, a commission was granted by the queen and the Privy Council to investigate the lands in Mayo claimed by her two sons, her grandson Dónal O'Flaherty, son of Owen, Dermot and Dónal O'Malley of "Owel O'Maillie", and Miles MacEvilly, Tibbott-ne-Long's foster-father, "with the intention of the Queen accepting their surrenders of the premises and re-granting them by letters patent."
As the
Nine Years' War
The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...
escalated, O'Malley sought to retrench her position with the crown. On 18 April 1595 she petitioned Lord Burghley, complaining of the activities of troops and asking to hold her estate for Elizabeth I. She added that "her sons, cousins, and followers will serve with a hundred men at their own charges at sea upon the coast of Ireland in Her Majesty's wars upon all occasions ... to continue dutiful unto Her Majesty, as true and faithful subjects". Throughout the war she encouraged and supported her son
Tibbot Bourke to fight for the Crown against Tyrone's confederation of Irish lords.
In September 1595, there was a conspiracy against Sir Richard Bingham; he fled to England and was imprisoned. Sir Conyers Clifford was appointed Governor of Connaught.
She most likely died at
Rockfleet Castle
Rockfleet Castle, or Carrickahowley Castle ( Irish: ''Carraig an Chabhlaigh''), is a tower house near Newport in County Mayo
County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, ...
around 1603, the same year as Elizabeth's death, though the year and place of O'Malley's death are disputed. Her family's usual burial place was in
Clare Island Abbey
Clare Island Abbey, officially St. Brigid's Abbey, is a former Cistercian monastery and National Monument located in Clare Island, County Mayo, Ireland.
Location
Clare Island Abbey is located in the centre of the south part of Clare Island, n ...
.
Biographical sources
In her 2006 biography of O'Malley, Irish historian and novelist
Anne Chambers described her as:
Documentary evidence for O'Malley's life comes mostly from English sources, as she is not mentioned in the Irish annals. The Ó Máille family "book", a collection of eulogistic bardic poetry and other material of the sort kept by aristocratic Gaelic households of the period, has not survived. There are no contemporary images of her. An important source of information is the eighteen "Articles of Interrogatory", questions put to her in writing on behalf of Elizabeth I.
She is also mentioned in the English State Papers and in other documents of the kind, an example being a letter sent by the Lord Deputy,
Sir Henry Sidney
Sir Henry Sidney (20 July 1529 – 5 May 1586) was an English soldier, politician and Lord Deputy of Ireland.
Background
He was the eldest son of Sir William Sidney of Penshurst (1482 – 11 February 1553) and Anne Pakenham (1511 – 22 Oc ...
, to his son
Phillip in 1577: "There came to mee a most famous femynyne sea captain called Grace Imallye, and offred her service unto me, wheresoever I woulde command her, with three gallyes and two hundred fightinge men ..."
Local traditions concerning her were collected by Irish scholar
John O'Donovan John O'Donovan may refer to:
*John O'Donovan (scholar) (1806–1861), Irish language scholar and place-name expert
*John O'Donovan (politician) (1908–1982), Irish TD and Senator
*John O'Donovan (police commissioner) (1858–1927), New Zealand pol ...
in the 1830s and 1840s on behalf of the
Ordnance Survey of Ireland
Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI; ) was the national mapping agency of the Republic of Ireland. It was established on 4 March 2002 as a body corporate. It was the successor to the former Ordnance Survey of Ireland. It and the Ordnance Survey of ...
. In a letter of 1838, he describes her as being "most vividly remembered by tradition and people were living in the last generation who conversed with people who knew her personally".
A story is recorded of O'Malley chiding her son Tíoboíd in the course of an attack on
Kanturk
Kanturk () is a town in the north west of County Cork, Ireland. It is situated at the confluence of the Allua (Allow) and Dallow (Dalua) rivers, which stream further on as tributaries to the River Blackwater. It is about from Cork and Limeric ...
Castle, when she thought he was shirking the battle: ("Are you trying to hide in my arse, the place that you came out of?").
[Ordnance Survey Letters, Mayo, vol. II, cited in Chambers 2003, spelling modernised.] She is also recorded as saying, with regard to her followers, (that she would rather have a shipload of Conroys and MacAnallys than a shipload of gold).
Westport House
Westport House
Westport House in Westport, County Mayo, Westport, County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, is a Georgian architecture, Georgian country house, historically the family seat of the Marquess of Sligo and the Brownes. The house was designed by ...
in County Mayo, Ireland, was the seat of the Browne dynasty,
Marquesses of Sligo
A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or widow) ...
, direct descendants of Grace O'Malley. The current house was built close to the site of Cahernamart ( – "fort of the beef market"), an Ó Máille fort. The original house was built by Colonel John Browne, a Jacobite, who was at the
Siege of Limerick (1691)
The siege of Limerick in western Ireland was a second siege of the town during the Williamite War in Ireland (1689–1691). The city, held by Jacobite forces, was able to beat off a Williamite assault in 1690. However, after a second siege i ...
, and his wife Maude Bourke. Maude Bourke was O'Malley's great-great-granddaughter.
A statue of Grace O'Malley by the artist Michael Cooper – the brother-in-law of
the 11th Marquess of Sligo – is on display in Westport House, and a bronze casting of the statue is situated on the grounds near the house. Westport House also contains an exhibition on the life of O'Malley compiled by the author
Anne Chambers, who wrote a biography of Granuaile.
Cultural impact
O'Malley's life has inspired many musicians, novelists, and playwrights to create works based on her life and adventures and she has been used as a
personification
Personification is the representation of a thing or abstraction as a person, often as an embodiment or incarnation. In the arts, many things are commonly personified, including: places, especially cities, National personification, countries, an ...
of Ireland:
Music
* The
Irish language
Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...
poet and
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...
leader
Patrick Pearse
Patrick Henry Pearse (also known as Pádraig or Pádraic Pearse; ; 10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish teacher, barrister, Irish poetry, poet, writer, Irish nationalism, nationalist, Irish republicanism, republican political activist a ...
used Gráinne O'Malley as a symbol of
Irish republicanism
Irish republicanism () is the political movement for an Irish Republic, Irish republic, void of any British rule in Ireland, British rule. Throughout its centuries of existence, it has encompassed various tactics and identities, simultaneously ...
in his lyrics to
Óró sé do bheatha abhaile
or () is a traditional Irish language, Irish song that came to be known as a Irish rebel song, rebel song in the early twentieth century. is a Cheering, cheer, whilst means "you are welcome home".
History
Similarly to many Folk music, folk ...
.
* In 1985, the Irish composer and singer
Shaun Davey
Shaun Davey (born 18 January 1948) is an Irish composer.
Early years
Shaun Davey was born in Belfast in 1948 and attended Rockport School in County Down. He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin in the history of Art in 1971. He then took a ...
composed a suite of music based on the life and times of O'Malley, ''
Granuaile
Gráinne O'Malley (, ; – ), also known as Grace O'Malley, was the head of the Ó Máille dynasty in the west of Ireland, and the daughter of Eóghan Dubhdara Ó Máille.
Upon her father's death, she took over active leadership of the lords ...
'', published in 1986.
*The Indulgers' 2000 album ''In Like Flynn'' includes a song entitled "Granuaile", which is centred on the legend of O'Malley.
*
Dead Can Dance
Dead Can Dance are a British-Australian band founded in Melbourne in 1981 by Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard, before relocating to London the following year. The Australian music historian Ian McFarlane described Dead Can Dance's style as "const ...
's 2012 album ''
Anastasis'' features a song titled "Return of the She-King", which was inspired by O'Malley.
*The Irish musician Gavin Dunne (
Miracle of Sound
Gavin Dunne (born May 6, 1980), better known by the name of his music project "Miracle of Sound", is an Irish indie musician known for his music inspired by video games, films, and TV shows. While not widely known in his home country of Irela ...
) released a song entitled "Gráinne Mhaol, Queen of Pirates" on his 2015 album ''
Metal Up''.
*The Canadian folk punk band
The Dreadnoughts
The Dreadnoughts are a Canadian 6-piece folk punk band from Vancouver. The band combines a wide range of European folk music with modern street punk. The band has seven full-length albums and three EPs on various labels, and has played around ...
released a song entitled "Grace O'Malley" on their 2009 ''Victory Square'' album.
*The Swedish
melodic death metal
Melodic death metal (also referred to as melodeath) is a subgenre of death metal that employs highly melodic guitar riffs, often borrowing from traditional heavy metal (including New Wave of British Heavy Metal). The genre features the heavines ...
band Frantic Amber released a song entitled "Graínne Mhaol" on their 2017 digital re-release of the originally 2015 released album "Burning Insight".
* The 2019 Album Talk like a Pirate by Rockin' Ron the friendly Pirate "Ron Carter" features the song Pirate Grace O'Malley, based on the life of Grace O'Malley
* The 2022 song "Rule 23 – Birds of a Feather" by Fish in a Birdcage was inspired by Grace O'Malley
Theatre
* The play ''Short-Haired Grace'' by Bill Breuhl depicting the meeting between O'Malley and Queen Elizabeth debuted at the
Merrimack Repertory Theatre
Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT) is a non-profit professional theatre located in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA. Known for its productions of contemporary work and world premieres, the company presents a September - May season of seven plays at the ...
Lowell, Massachusetts, 2002
* The play ''Bald Grace'' by Marki Shalloe debuted at Chicago's Stockyards Theatre in 2005, and was featured at
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
's Theatre Gael (America's oldest Irish-American theatre) in 2006.
*The Broadway musical ''
The Pirate Queen
''The Pirate Queen'' is a musical with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, French lyrics by Alain Boublil and English lyric adaptations by Richard Maltby Jr. and John Dempsey. The French book was written by Boublil and Schönberg and the Englis ...
'' depicting O'Malley's life debuted at the Hilton Theater in 2007, with
Stephanie J. Block
Stephanie Janette Block (born September 19, 1972) is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on the Broadway stage.
Block made her Broadway debut in 2003, originating the role of Liza Minnelli in '' The Boy from Oz''. After read ...
portraying O'Malley.
* American actress Molly Lyons wrote and starred in a one-woman show titled ''A Most Notorious Woman'', detailing the life of O'Malley. It has been produced internationally at theatres and festivals.
* The play ''Gráinne'', by J.Costello, K. Doyle, L. Errity, and A. L. Mentxaka, of 2015, tells the story of Grace O'Malley in six snapshots. It was premiered by Born to Burn productions in Dublin in November 2015, with an all-woman cast playing three female roles and six male roles. The text of the play was published in a limited edition by artisan publishers Gur Cake Editions.
* Irish actress, writer and director, Maggie Cronin's first play, a solo show called ''A Most Notorious Woman: tales of Grace O'Malley'' – premiered in 1989.
Literature
*
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...
used the legend of Grace O'Malley ("her grace o'malice") and the
Earl of Howth
Earl of Howth ( ) was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1767 for Thomas St Lawrence, 15th Baron Howth, who was elevated to Viscount St Lawrence at the same time, also in the Peerage of Ireland. The St Lawrence family descended ...
in chapter 1 of his 1939 novel ''
Finnegans Wake
''Finnegans Wake'' is a novel by Irish literature, Irish writer James Joyce. It was published in instalments starting in 1924, under the title "fragments from ''Work in Progress''". The final title was only revealed when the book was publishe ...
''.
*
Morgan Llywelyn
Morgan Llywelyn (born December 3, 1937) is an American-Irish historical interpretation author of historical and mythological fiction and historical non-fiction. Her interpretation of mythology and history has received several awards and has ...
wrote a 1986 historical fiction titled ''
Grania: She-King of the Irish Seas''.
*
Neal Stephenson
Neal Town Stephenson (born October 31, 1959) is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction. His novels have been categorized as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, and baroque.
Stephenson's work explores mathemati ...
and
Nicole Galland make extensive reference to her via written correspondence from one of the prominent characters throughout their 2017 novel ''
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.''
*
Siobhán Parkinson wrote a historical fiction book in 2019 in Irish titled ''Gráinne – Gaiscíoch Gael'' (''Gráinne – Hero of the Irish'').
Cois Life. .
*
John Crowley's 2022 novel ''Flint and Mirror'' includes the character Gráinne O’Malley. .
Statues
* At Westport House – see above.
* Outside
"Old St Pat's" Church,
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
Other
* ''Grace O'Malley Park'' in
Howth, Ireland commemorates her supposed attempt in 1576 to visit the nearby
Howth Castle
Howth Castle ( ) is a historic dwelling, originally of Norman origin, that lies by the village of Howth, County Dublin, Ireland; it is sited within a substantial estate. The castle was the ancestral home of the St Lawrence family that had held ...
. According to legend, Granuaile temporarily abducted a family member after being denied entry.
* Since 1948, the
Commissioners of Irish Lights
The Commissioners of Irish Lights (), often shortened to Irish Lights or CIL, is the body that serves as the general lighthouse authority for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and their adjacent seas and islands. As the lighthouse a ...
have sailed three vessels named ''Granuaile''. Their current sole light tender, commissioned in 2005, is the most modern serving the coast of the
island of Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Irelanda sovereign state covering five-sixths of th ...
.
* In
Tampa, Florida
Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
, Grace O'Malley is the inspiration for Ye Loyal Krewe of Grace O'Malley, one of many crews that participate in the
Gasparilla Pirate Festival
The Gasparilla Pirate Festival (often simply referred to as Gasparilla ) is a large parade and a host of related community events held in Tampa, Florida, United States, most years since 1904. The centerpiece of the festivities is the Parade o ...
.
See also
*
Gráinne (given name)
Gráinne (), sometimes anglicised Grania, is the daughter of king Cormac mac Airt in the Fianna Cycle of Irish mythology. She is one of the central figures in the Middle Irish text '' Finn and Gráinne'', as well as the 17th-century tale '' Th ...
*
Irish galley
The Irish galley was a vessel in use in the West of Ireland down to the seventeenth century, and was propelled both by oars and sail. In fundamental respects it resembled the Scottish galley or bìrlinn, their mutual ancestor being the Viking long ...
*
Castlekirk
*
Inishbofin, County Galway
References
Sources
*
* (This is a second, American edition of the book above)
*
*
* Song Carter Ron, Rockin' Ron the friendly pirate (2019) Pirate Grace O'Malley, Album Talk like a pirat
Pirate Grace O'Malley
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
Grace O'Malley"page by Anne Chambers
Gráinne Mhaol, "The Pirate Queen"by Patrick Flannery
{{DEFAULTSORT:OMalley, Grace
1530s births
1600s deaths
Irish outlaws
Irish pirates
Irish sailors
Irish female pirates
People from County Mayo
Women in 16th-century warfare
People of Elizabethan Ireland
People of the Nine Years' War (Ireland)
Irish folklore
Irish rebels
Irish lords
Women of the Tudor period
16th-century Irish women
17th-century Irish women
16th-century Irish people
17th-century Irish people
Women in war in Ireland
16th-century pirates
17th-century pirates
Gaels
Maritime folklore
Irish legends
Piracy in the Atlantic Ocean