You may just google her name if you are intersted she was very famous and very interesting, there is a great tv documentary about her somewhere.
GRACE O'MALLEY
by Rosemarie Colombraro
Since the 1100's the O'Malleys had been known as sailors - Granuaile, born around 1530, was to be no different. Her father, Owen Dubhdara "Black Oak" O'Malley, was the elected chieftain of Umhall Uachtarach (Barony of Murrisk). He was an accomplished sailor, as was his father before him, and his family traded with Scotland and Spain in their fleet of caravels and galleys. As a young child Grace yearned to join her father on the sea, but her mother resisted, saying the life of a sailor was not for young ladies. When Grace cut off her long hair in protest, her amused family nicknamed her Grainne Mhaol (Grace the Bald). It is believed her father gave in and allowed her to travel with him to Spain.
Rockfleet Castle, Ireland
In 1546 Grace married Donal O'Flaherty, next in line as head of the clan and possessor of the castles of Bunowen and Ballinahinch. Also known as Donal-an-Chogaidh, or Donal of the Battles, Grace's new husband had a wicked disposition. It was thought he had murdered his sister's stepson, Walter Fada Burke, because he was a threat to the MacWilliamship.
Interior of Rockfleet Castle Grace bore Donal three children during their marriage - Owen, Margaret, and Murrough. She did not let motherhood squelch her will, though. She continued her escapades and soon became better known than her husband in tribal disputes, politics, and pirating. Donal O'Flaherty was banned from trading at Galway, one of the largest centers in the British Isles, so he was forced to trade elsewhere. But Grace sailed out in her fastest galleys and intercepted merchants going to Galway; she would negotiate safe passage or allow her men to raid the ships.
In the 1560's, the English ousted O'Flaherty from his position as heir to Iar Connacht. and another young chief was given the position of The O'Flaherty. Donal later was believed to have died during an attack by the Joyce's, who sought revenge for Donal's capture of Castle Caislan-an-Circa. He was nicknamed "Donal the Cock" because of his great courage during the battle. Later, when Grainne defeated the Joyces, she was nicknamed "The Hen", and from then on the castle was called "The Hen's Castle".
Grace's fortress on Clare Island
By law Grainne was entitled to one third her husband's estates, but the law was often ignored. Her two grown sons were trying to establish their own lands, so Grace returned to O'Malley soil with 200 followers, and set up on Clare Island. This was an ideal setting for Grace; she could monitor ship traffic in Clew Bay and along the coast. Her pirating skills and her ability to charge for safe passage kept her and her followers quite comfortable.
The island of Clare and Clew Bay was entirely in Grace O'Malley's control - except the castle Rockfleet (Carraig-an-Cabhlaigh). This was the property of Iron Dick Burke, so Grace arranged to marry him in 1566. She made the agreement with Dick that after one year, either party could terminate the marriage. When the time approached, Grace shut herself up in Rockfleet and dismissed her husband, thereby acquiring the castle as her own. However, it seems she continued a relationship with Iron Dick, as he is connected to her in later writings. The marriage, though short, produced one son, who she named Tibbot-na-Long, or Theobald of the Ships. Legend has it that Grace gave birth to Theobald during a trading mission. When Turkish pirates attacked her ship, it looked as though they would be defeated. Grace screamed out, "May you be seven times worse this day twelve months, who cannot do without me for one day!" She went on deck, waving a blunderbuss, and said, "Take this from unconsecrated hands!" O'Malley's crew captured the Turkish ship, dispatched the crew and added to their fleet.
Interior of the fortress on Clare Island
In 1577, Grace O'Malley was captured and handed over to the President of Munster. She was imprisoned at the dungeon of Dublin castle. Very few prisoners left this castle alive; but for an unknown reason Grace was set free, and she returned to Connaught.
In 1580, Iron Dick Burke was installed as the MacWilliam and was knighted a year later. He died in 1583 - surprisingly, of natural causes. Grace had been cheated out of her right to part of her first husband's estate, and this time she wasted no time and took what she was owed. She gathered 1000 head of cattle and horses and took up residence in Carrikahowley, in Borosowle.
Exterior of Clare Island Abbey, Grace's burial place.
When Sir Richard Bingham became Governor of Connaught in 1584, he proceeded to remove all clans and chieftains and parceled out lands as he saw fit. He captured Grace O'Malley in 1586, confiscating her possessions and dismissing her followers. By turning evidence against her son-in-law, Grace was allowed to go home, but her son Owen was brutally murdered by Bingham's troops. With her livelihood on land gone, Grace O'Malley turned back to the sea, and again became known as "a notable traitoress and nurse to all rebellions in the Province".
Bingham was desperate to suppress Grace O'Malley, even convincing her son, Murrough, at one point, to side against his mother. Grace then moved to a more political tactic. She petitioned Queen Elizabeth, and asked for liberty - in exchange for an all out attack on the enemies of the queen. Elizabeth responded by sending a list of questions to be answered by Grace. The 18 "Articles of Interrogatory" and Grace's answers are preserved in the English State Papers. But before the queen could act, Bingham arrested Grace's sons, Murrough and Tibbott, and her brother Donell O'Piper. In a daring move, Grace O'Malley traveled to English soil to again petition the Queen.
It was said to be quite an unusual scene; O'Malley, in her 60's, swarthy and arrogant, in a room full of powdered and coifed men and women of the court. It isn't known what swayed the Queen Elizabeth's thoughts, but she immediately wrote Bingham, demanding that he release Grace's sons and brother and provide living for Grace for the rest of her days.
Grace put out to sea again, under the guise of fighting for the queen. Bingham knew she would go back to her old ways if she could, so he ordered a captain and a company of soldiers to follow her on all voyages.
Grace finally fled to Munster and stayed with an old friend, Thomas, Earl of Ormond. The Earl helped Grace petition the queen again, but there is no record of a reply. Grace eventually returned to Rockfleet. It is believed that Grace went back to her pirating ways; there is only one account of an English patrol overcoming one of her galleys on its way to raid the ships of the McSweeneys.
The tomb with the family crest on the wall. Some say Grace O'Malley died in a battle while attempting to raid a merchant ship. Others believe she died in her castle Rockfleet. But her life was wrought with risk. At a time where women had very little influence in positions other than the queen's, Grace O'Malley asked permissions from no man.
GRACE O'MALLEY
by Rosemarie Colombraro
Since the 1100's the O'Malleys had been known as sailors - Granuaile, born around 1530, was to be no different. Her father, Owen Dubhdara "Black Oak" O'Malley, was the elected chieftain of Umhall Uachtarach (Barony of Murrisk). He was an accomplished sailor, as was his father before him, and his family traded with Scotland and Spain in their fleet of caravels and galleys. As a young child Grace yearned to join her father on the sea, but her mother resisted, saying the life of a sailor was not for young ladies. When Grace cut off her long hair in protest, her amused family nicknamed her Grainne Mhaol (Grace the Bald). It is believed her father gave in and allowed her to travel with him to Spain.
Rockfleet Castle, Ireland
In 1546 Grace married Donal O'Flaherty, next in line as head of the clan and possessor of the castles of Bunowen and Ballinahinch. Also known as Donal-an-Chogaidh, or Donal of the Battles, Grace's new husband had a wicked disposition. It was thought he had murdered his sister's stepson, Walter Fada Burke, because he was a threat to the MacWilliamship.
Interior of Rockfleet Castle Grace bore Donal three children during their marriage - Owen, Margaret, and Murrough. She did not let motherhood squelch her will, though. She continued her escapades and soon became better known than her husband in tribal disputes, politics, and pirating. Donal O'Flaherty was banned from trading at Galway, one of the largest centers in the British Isles, so he was forced to trade elsewhere. But Grace sailed out in her fastest galleys and intercepted merchants going to Galway; she would negotiate safe passage or allow her men to raid the ships.
In the 1560's, the English ousted O'Flaherty from his position as heir to Iar Connacht. and another young chief was given the position of The O'Flaherty. Donal later was believed to have died during an attack by the Joyce's, who sought revenge for Donal's capture of Castle Caislan-an-Circa. He was nicknamed "Donal the Cock" because of his great courage during the battle. Later, when Grainne defeated the Joyces, she was nicknamed "The Hen", and from then on the castle was called "The Hen's Castle".
Grace's fortress on Clare Island
By law Grainne was entitled to one third her husband's estates, but the law was often ignored. Her two grown sons were trying to establish their own lands, so Grace returned to O'Malley soil with 200 followers, and set up on Clare Island. This was an ideal setting for Grace; she could monitor ship traffic in Clew Bay and along the coast. Her pirating skills and her ability to charge for safe passage kept her and her followers quite comfortable.
The island of Clare and Clew Bay was entirely in Grace O'Malley's control - except the castle Rockfleet (Carraig-an-Cabhlaigh). This was the property of Iron Dick Burke, so Grace arranged to marry him in 1566. She made the agreement with Dick that after one year, either party could terminate the marriage. When the time approached, Grace shut herself up in Rockfleet and dismissed her husband, thereby acquiring the castle as her own. However, it seems she continued a relationship with Iron Dick, as he is connected to her in later writings. The marriage, though short, produced one son, who she named Tibbot-na-Long, or Theobald of the Ships. Legend has it that Grace gave birth to Theobald during a trading mission. When Turkish pirates attacked her ship, it looked as though they would be defeated. Grace screamed out, "May you be seven times worse this day twelve months, who cannot do without me for one day!" She went on deck, waving a blunderbuss, and said, "Take this from unconsecrated hands!" O'Malley's crew captured the Turkish ship, dispatched the crew and added to their fleet.
Interior of the fortress on Clare Island
In 1577, Grace O'Malley was captured and handed over to the President of Munster. She was imprisoned at the dungeon of Dublin castle. Very few prisoners left this castle alive; but for an unknown reason Grace was set free, and she returned to Connaught.
In 1580, Iron Dick Burke was installed as the MacWilliam and was knighted a year later. He died in 1583 - surprisingly, of natural causes. Grace had been cheated out of her right to part of her first husband's estate, and this time she wasted no time and took what she was owed. She gathered 1000 head of cattle and horses and took up residence in Carrikahowley, in Borosowle.
Exterior of Clare Island Abbey, Grace's burial place.
When Sir Richard Bingham became Governor of Connaught in 1584, he proceeded to remove all clans and chieftains and parceled out lands as he saw fit. He captured Grace O'Malley in 1586, confiscating her possessions and dismissing her followers. By turning evidence against her son-in-law, Grace was allowed to go home, but her son Owen was brutally murdered by Bingham's troops. With her livelihood on land gone, Grace O'Malley turned back to the sea, and again became known as "a notable traitoress and nurse to all rebellions in the Province".
Bingham was desperate to suppress Grace O'Malley, even convincing her son, Murrough, at one point, to side against his mother. Grace then moved to a more political tactic. She petitioned Queen Elizabeth, and asked for liberty - in exchange for an all out attack on the enemies of the queen. Elizabeth responded by sending a list of questions to be answered by Grace. The 18 "Articles of Interrogatory" and Grace's answers are preserved in the English State Papers. But before the queen could act, Bingham arrested Grace's sons, Murrough and Tibbott, and her brother Donell O'Piper. In a daring move, Grace O'Malley traveled to English soil to again petition the Queen.
It was said to be quite an unusual scene; O'Malley, in her 60's, swarthy and arrogant, in a room full of powdered and coifed men and women of the court. It isn't known what swayed the Queen Elizabeth's thoughts, but she immediately wrote Bingham, demanding that he release Grace's sons and brother and provide living for Grace for the rest of her days.
Grace put out to sea again, under the guise of fighting for the queen. Bingham knew she would go back to her old ways if she could, so he ordered a captain and a company of soldiers to follow her on all voyages.
Grace finally fled to Munster and stayed with an old friend, Thomas, Earl of Ormond. The Earl helped Grace petition the queen again, but there is no record of a reply. Grace eventually returned to Rockfleet. It is believed that Grace went back to her pirating ways; there is only one account of an English patrol overcoming one of her galleys on its way to raid the ships of the McSweeneys.
The tomb with the family crest on the wall. Some say Grace O'Malley died in a battle while attempting to raid a merchant ship. Others believe she died in her castle Rockfleet. But her life was wrought with risk. At a time where women had very little influence in positions other than the queen's, Grace O'Malley asked permissions from no man.
