Grace O’Malley was a pirate from County Mayo, Ireland (oleg tzyb)
Grace O’Malley (Irish Gaelic: Gráinne Ó Máille ) leaned out of the upstairs window and yelled “I dismiss thee!” to her second husband, whom she had locked out of their castle. It was a bold move, but this Irish woman was anything other than meek. She was chief of the Ó Máille (O’Malley) clan, Lord of their territories in Umhaill, captain of their fleet and a pirate.
Tales of this female pirate chief are the stuff of legend and cultural memory. Her story is not recorded in Irish sources since the Ó Máille family book has not survived the centuries, and the monk writers of the Irish annals did not see fit to include a mention of a rouge female leader from Mayo County. The only official accounts are English sources, one even notes her questioning by Queen Elizabeth I. But that story is jumping ahead.
Grace was born around 1530, as the only legitimate child of the Ó Máille clan chief. Perhaps that is why she was trained in seafaring at a time when such pursuits were typically reserved for men. Her clan controlled the waters around Clew Bay and had built a series of tall, square stronghold castles to guard against attacks from rival clans. She likely grew up at the family’s primary residence on Clare Island, situated strategically to protect the bay.
Nowadays, you can still visit Clare Island and what is left of the Ó Máille stronghold. The dark, foreboding block of a structure sits beside the modern pier, protected and hidden by the nearby cliffs. People call it Castle Gráinne Mhaol (English: Granuaile, pronounced Gron-yoo-wail), a nickname given to this strong-willed young lady that means “Grace bald.”
The castle of the Pirate Queen Grace O'Malley on the Clare Island in Clew Bay (Trevor Maldwyn Smith/Wirestock - stock.adobe.com)
According to legend, her father planned a trading expedition to Spain and refused to take Grace along. The Ó Máille fleet primarily traded, but also dabbled in occasional coastal raiding and piracy when it suited them. Grace’s father didn’t allow her on the ships, saying her long red hair would get caught in the ropes. In retaliation, a young Grace cut off all her hair. It isn’t known if she took the voyage to Spain, but from then on Grace frequently joined her father at sea and learned military tactics.
You can sail out to Clare Island on the O’Malley Ferries (omalleyferries.com). If the fall weather is nice, rent an e-bike from Shoreline Pursuits (shoreline-pursuits.ie) and pedal the 3km along the coast to Clare Island Abbey where the Ó Máille clan crest still marks the family’s burial, and likely Grace’s final resting place.
When she was a teenager, Grace was married to the heir of the nearby O’Flaherty (Irish Gaelic: Ó Flaithbheartaigh) clan and moved to their lands south of Clew Bay, living in another island castle on Lough Corrib. During this time, she had three children. Then, Elizabeth I ascended as Queen of England and Ireland. Intent on having control of Irish clan politics, the queen appointed another man as the O’Flaherty chief. In the aftermath, Grace’s husband Dónal was murdered, and she successfully and violently defended the castle. Dónal was nicknamed “the cock” for his aggressiveness, so Grace became known as “the hen.” The castle she defended was, from then on, known as Hen’s Castle which remained in her control. You can still venture out to Hen’s Castle on boat or kayak tours from operators around the lake. The O’Flaherty’s would not submit to a woman chief, so Grace returned to her Ó Máille homeland with a loyal militia of their men.
In her mid-twenties, Grace became chief of the Ó Máille clan when her father died. She led the clan’s fleet of over 20 ships in rebelling against the queen’s control. They plundered English ships, took a ‘toll’ from anyone who sailed by, attacked clans that supported the English crown, and built a wealthy chiefdom under the guise of trade and fishing. It is said that when her lover was killed, she sailed north to attack an entire clan at their castle.
Having captured her lover’s murderer’s she brought them to abandoned Caher Island for execution. Grace used the many Ó Máille tower castles around Clew Bay to keep control of the area and evade capture. It is possible to see inside one of these: Kildavent Tower is open for exploration. Near the tower are the White Cliffs of Ashleam, where you can see the wild Atlantic Ocean and make out the Cliffs of Croaghan, the tallest sea cliffs in Ireland. Hardy souls can venture up the strenuous, exposed hike to the clifftops from Keem Bay.
Kildavnet castle in Achill Island. County Mayo, Ireland ()
When Grace remarried, she is said to have born her fourth child aboard a ship just prior to repelling an attack by Algerian pirates. Her second marriage was, as far as we can tell, a grasp for area dominance. In the agreement, she acquired Rockfleet Castle and its surrounding bay access. It was from here that she so abruptly dismissed her second husband, still well within the traditional one-year allowance for such a break-up. It’s easy to stop by Rockfleet Castle on the return drive from Kildavent Tower. It is not currently open to the public but is scenically situated along the water’s edge and makes for a lovely rest stop. And, if racking up Ó Máille castles is your vibe, 15 minutes down the road from Rockfleet are the ruins of Castleaffy Castle. Though they sit on private property, a small pull-out is convenient for photographing the castle just over the stone wall and taking in the idyllic calm edge of the sound.
For Grace, the fight against English control was a quest. She became notorious for leading rebels but was willing to give up control for her son. He had been caught by the English navy and was being held for treason. At the same time Grace’s fleet was destroyed. So, she pirated control of an English ship and sailed for London where she was granted an audience with the queen at Greenwich Palace. People lined the Thames River to see the pirate woman sail in. After a diplomatic meeting, the queen agreed to release all her captured relatives in exchange for Grace’s subjugation. From then on, the English Navy monitored Grace’s fleet, but the Ó Máille clan continued to help the Irish rebels. Grace O’Malley and Queen Elizabeth both died in 1603, the same year England regained full control over Ireland.
To visit County Mayo’s famous pirate sites, it is best to base yourself in the quaint village of Westport. There, you can find pubs with fireside seating, a scenic tree-lined river walk, and unique local shops. The town is adjacent to the Westport House estate, land owned by the decedents of Grace O’Malley. On a tour of the house, you can see the dungeons from the original Ó Máille clan fort. The grounds are worth exploring to find the Grace O’Malley statue or have fun at the outdoor adventure park. It is open primarily on weekends during the fall until Christmas, and daily in summer.
Grace O’Malley’s legacy lives on in County Mayo, Ireland. She was a popular folk hero during her time, a heroine to her local clan and a cutthroat pirate to ships who happened to sail by. A bold chief and military leader, she has earned her moniker as Ireland’s Pirate Queen.
Westport, Ireland (susanne2688 - stock.adobe.com)
