Editing Grace O'Malley

{{Short description|Irish pirate and chieftain (c. 1530–1603)}}
{{Redirect|Granuaile|the album by Shaun Davey and Rita Connolly|Granuaile (album)}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=July 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox pirate
| name            = Gráinne O'Malley
| native_name      = ''Gráinne Ní Mháille''
| native_name_lang = ga
|birth_date       = {{circa|1530}}
|death_date       = {{circa}} {{death year and age|1603|1530}}
|image           = Grainne Mhaol Ni Mhaille Statue.jpg
|caption          = Grainne Mhaol Ni Mhaille statue,<br>[[Westport House]], in [[Westport, County Mayo|Westport]], [[County Mayo]]
|nickname         = Grace O'Malley, Gráinne Mhaol, Granuaile
|occupation       = Land-owner, sea-captain, political activist
|birth_place      = [[Umhaill]], [[Connacht]], Ireland
|death_place      = most likely [[Rockfleet Castle]], Ireland
|allegiance       = [[Kings of Umhaill|Ó Máille]]
|commands         = White Seahorse 
|battles          = [[Nine Years War (Ireland)]]
|parents          = {{plainlist|
* Eóghan Dubhdara Ó Mháille (father)
* Me Ní Mháille (mother)}}
|spouse = {{plainlist|
*[[Ó Flaithbertaigh|Dónal an Chogaidh Ó Flaithbheartaigh]]
*[[Richard "the Iron" Bourke]]}}
|children = Eóghain Ó Flaithbertaigh, Murchad Ó Flaithbertaigh, Meaḋḃ Ní Fhlaithbertaigh, [[Tibbot ne Long Bourke, 1st Viscount Mayo|Tibbott Bourke]]
|nocat_wdimage=yes
}}
'''Gráinne O'Malley'''<ref>{{cite ODNB|last=O'Dowd|first=Mary|year=2008|title=O'Malley, Gráinne (''fl''. 1577–1597)|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/20753}}</ref> ({{langx|ga|Gráinne Ní Mháille}}, {{IPA|ga|ˈgˠɾˠaːn̠ʲə n̠ʲiː ˈwaːl̠ʲə|pron}}; {{c.|1530}} – {{c.|1603}}), also known as '''Grace O'Malley''', was the head of the [[Kings of Umaill|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 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 ne Long Bourke, 1st Viscount Mayo|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]], [[Richard Bingham (soldier)|Sir Richard Bingham]], O'Malley sailed to England to petition for their release. She formally presented her request to Queen [[Elizabeth I]] at her court in [[Greenwich Palace]].

O'Malley is not mentioned in the Irish [[annals]], 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.<ref name="Chambers 2003">See the supplement to Chambers, 2003.</ref> She is mentioned in the English State Papers and in other documents of the kind.<ref name="Lambeth Palace Library 2003, p. 85">Lambeth Palace Library, ms. no 601, p. 10, cited in Chambers 2003, p. 85</ref>

In [[Irish folklore]] she is commonly known as '''''Gráinne Mhaol''''' (anglicised as '''Granuaile''') and is a well-known historical figure in sixteenth-century [[Early Modern Ireland 1536-1691|Irish history]]. 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,<ref name="chambers39">{{harvnb|Chambers|2003|p=39}}</ref> rarely as Grace O'Malley.<ref>There is only one instance recorded in Chambers in Chapter Nine End of an Era where she is referred to in a dispatch as Grace O'Malley</ref> 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]] was [[King of England]] and held the title [[Lord of Ireland]]. Under the policies of the [[English government]] at the time, the semi-autonomous [[Irish clan]]s were left mostly to their own devices. However, this was to change over the course of O'Malley's life as the [[Tudor conquest of Ireland]] gathered pace.

[[Kings of Umhaill|Eoghan Dubhdara Ó Máille]], her father,<ref name="Chambers 2003 20">{{harvnb|Chambers|2003|p=20}}</ref> and his family were based in [[Clew Bay]], [[County Mayo]]. He was [[Chief of the Name]] of [[O'Malley (surname)|Clan Ó Máille]] and [[Tigerna|Lord]] of [[Umhaill]], and claimed descent from [[Maille mac Conall]]. 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]]<ref name="Chambers 2003 20"/> in south-west County Mayo and recognised as their nominal overlords the [[Mac William Íochtar]] branch of the Bourkes, who controlled much of what is now County Mayo. The Bourke family (Irish: d''e Búrca'') were originally [[Anglo-Normans|Anglo-Norman]] ([[House of Burgh|de Burgh]]) but by O'Malley's lifetime had become completely [[Gaelicisation|Gaelicised]]. 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.<ref>{{harvnb|Chambers|2003|p=21}}</ref> Although under [[Brehon Law]] only male members of the [[derbhfine]] could inherit the mantle of [[Chief of the Name]] through [[tanistry]], O'Malley "was considered to be the legal retainer of the family land and seafaring activities".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://publications.ut-capitole.fr/22130/1/Granuaile.pdf|title=O'Connell}}</ref>

With shore castles like [[Carrickkildavnet Castle|Carrickkildavnet]], the Clan Uí Mháille demanded and received [[black rent]] from those who fished off their coasts, which included fishermen from as far away as England. The head of the family was [[Chief of the Name|known simply by his surname]] as Ó Máille (anglicised as The O'Malley). The local [[oral tradition]] 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" ({{IPA|ga|ˈɡɾˠaːn̠ʲə ˈwiːlˠ}}; from ''maol'', meaning 'bald' or 'having cropped hair'), usually anglicised as Granuaile ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|ɡ|r|ɔː|n|j|u|ˈ|eɪ|l}} {{respell|GRAWN|yoo|AYL}}).<ref>As used to name the ships ILV ''Granuaile'' of the [[Commissioners of Irish Lights]].</ref> The nickname may also come from ''Gráinne Umhaill'' ("Gráinne of Umhall", Umhall being a historical district of west [[Connacht]] dominated by the Uí Mháille).<ref>{{harvnb|Chambers|2003|p= 57}}</ref>

As a child she most likely lived at her family's residence of Belclare and [[Clare Island]],<ref name="chambers39"/> but she may have been fostered by another family, as [[fosterage]] was traditional among the [[Gaelic nobility of Ireland]].<ref>{{harvnb|Chambers|2003|p=36}}</ref>

==Marriage to Ó Flaithbheartaigh ==
[[File:Clare Island.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Clare Island, associated with Grace O'Malley]]
O'Malley was married in 1546 to [[Ó Flaithbertaigh|Dónal an Chogaidh Ó Flaithbheartaigh]], ''[[tánaiste]]'' or heir to the [[Chief of the Name]] of [[O'Flaherty|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 [[Tigerna|Lord]] of [[Iar Connacht]], which was roughly equivalent to modern [[Connemara]].<ref>{{harvnb|Chambers|2003|p=42}}</ref>

She bore three children during her marriage to Dónal an Chogaidh:
* Eóghan (Owen):<ref name="chambers44">{{harvnb|Chambers|2003|p=44}}</ref> The eldest child, known to be kind and forgiving. [[Richard Bingham (soldier)|Sir Richard Bingham]] tricked him; Owen was murdered as a result, and Bingham and his troops took over his castle.
* Méadhbh (Maeve):<ref name="chambers44"/> Said to be much like her mother, she married [[Richard "the Devils Hook" Bourke]], 22nd [[Mac William Iochtar|Mac William Íochtar]] (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):<ref name="chambers44"/> 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]] and returned to [[Umhaill]], taking with her many Clan Ó Flaithbheartaigh warriors.<ref>{{harvnb|Chambers|2003|p=45}}</ref>

In 1564, Dónal's ambitions were dashed when his kinsman [[Murrough na dTuadh Ó Flaithbheartaigh]] was appointed by Queen Elizabeth as [[Chief of the Name]] instead of him. In 1565, Dónal was killed in an ambush while hunting in the hills surrounding [[Lough Corrib]]. His assassination was, undoubtedly, part of Dónal's wider struggle against Clan Joyce for control of [[Castlekirk|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]]). 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]] and slew her lover's murderers upon [[Caher Island]]. Her veangence against Clan MacMahon earned Gráinne the nickname the 'Dark Lady of Doona'.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dib.cambridge.org/viewReadPage.do?articleId=a6886&searchClicked=clicked&quickadvsearch=yes |title=Dictionary of Irish Biography – Cambridge University Press |website=dib.cambridge.org |access-date=2017-03-08}}</ref>

==Marriage to Bourke==
[[File:Carrickahowley (Rockfleet) Castle County Mayo.JPG|thumb|right|[[Rockfleet Castle]]]]
By 1566, O'Malley had married a second time, this time to [[Risdeárd an Iarainn Bourke|Risdeárd an Iarainn ("Iron Richard") Bourke]], 18th [[Mac William Iochtar|Mac William Íochtar]] (d.1583), his nickname deriving from his ironworks at [[Burrishoole]], the place of his principal castle and residence.<ref>{{harvnb|Chambers|2003|p=63}}</ref> [[Tibbot ne Long Bourke, 1st Viscount Mayo|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.<ref name="chambers55-56">{{harvnb|Chambers|2003|pp=55–56}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{harvnb|Chambers|2003|p=56}}</ref>

More than twenty years after her death, an English [[Lord Deputy of Ireland]] recalled her ability as a leader of fighting men, noting the fame she still had among the [[Irish people]].<ref>{{harvnb|Chambers|2003|p=53}}</ref><ref>Calendar of State Papers Relating to Ireland (James I) 1623, no. 997. (London 1860–1912)</ref>

==Autonomous status==
In 1576, O'Malley engaged in the [[surrender and regrant]] process with the Lord Deputy Sir [[Henry Sidney]] 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".<ref name="chambers52">{{harvnb|Chambers|2003|p=52}}</ref><ref>Lambeth Palace Library MS 601, p. 111</ref> 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]] over her part of the country. An expedition from [[Galway]] led by Sheriff [[William Óge Martyn]] attacked [[Granuaile's Castle|her castle at Clare Island]] in March 1579. However, they were put to flight and barely escaped.

==Meeting with Elizabeth==
[[File:The meeting of Grace O'Malley and Queen Elizabeth I.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The meeting of Grace O'Malley and Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;I (a later illustration from ''Anthologia Hibernica'', vol. 11, 1793)]]
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&nbsp;... without any interruption of any person or persons whatsoever".<ref name="40th">''Grace O'Malley: the biography of Ireland's Pirate Queen'' (40th anniversary ed.), 2018</ref> In May 1593, [[Hugh Maguire (Lord of Fermanagh)]] rebelled and burned [[Ballymote]], 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 [[Richard Bingham (soldier)|Sir Richard Bingham]], sent to Athlone prison and charged with treason.<ref name="40th"/> Grace's half-brother Dónal na Píopa was also arrested by Sir Richard Bingham and charged with the murder of some English soldiers.<ref name="40th"/> Grace sailed to England to petition Queen Elizabeth I for their release. She was accompanied by Sir-Murrough-ne-Doe O'Flaherty.<ref name="40th"/>
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".<ref name="40th"/> The Earl of Ormond, cousin and favourite of the Queen, gave Grace an introduction to [[William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley|Lord Burghley]], chief advisor to the Queen. Burghley sent O'Malley a list of questions, "eighteen articles of interrogatory" which were answered and returned.<ref name="40th"/>

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&nbsp;... for notwithstanding that they have many pardons there ys matter ynough of late found out against them to hang them by justice".<ref name="40th"/>

Tradition but not the written sources states that O'Malley met with the Queen at [[Greenwich Palace]], wearing a fine gown; the two of them were surrounded by guards and the members of Elizabeth's royal court.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://getpocket.com/explore/item/grace-o-malley-the-fearless-16th-century-irish-pirate-queen-who-stood-up-to-the-english|title=Grace O'Malley, the Fearless 16th-Century Irish Pirate Queen Who Stood Up to the English|website=Pocket|access-date=2020-04-21}}</ref>

Many of what Anne Chambers refers to as "fanciful tales" have embellished the story of the meeting in Irish story-telling tradition.<ref name="40th"/> For example, O'Malley is said to have refused to bow before Elizabeth because she did not recognise her as the "Queen of Ireland".<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref name="40th"/>

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&nbsp;... 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."<ref name="40th"/> 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&nbsp;... and wth gods assistance dryve her and all her fleet into the sea."<ref name="40th"/>

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.<ref name="40th"/> 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".<ref name="40th"/>

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.<ref name="40th"/><ref>''Under the Crossbones: A Pirate Podcast'', hosted by Phil Johnson – interview with Anne Chambers, 20 March 2018 – accessed on YouTube 4 September 2022. URL https://www.underthecrossbones.com/anne-chambers-grace-omalley/</ref>

==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.<ref name="40th"/>

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,&nbsp;... upon such slender surytes."<ref name="40th"/>

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.<ref name="40th"/> 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]].<ref name="40th"/> Ormond wrote to Burghley on her behalf.<ref name="40th"/> 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."<ref name="40th"/>

As the [[Nine Years War (Ireland)|Nine Years' War]] 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.<ref>Calendar of State Papers Ireland, 1592–1596, p. 321</ref> 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&nbsp;... to continue dutiful unto Her Majesty, as true and faithful subjects".<ref>Petition of Grany Ny Maelly, of Connacht, to Burghley, 17 April 1595, National Archives, Kew, PRO SP 63/179/f. 7</ref> Throughout the war she encouraged and supported her son [[Tibbot ne Long Bourke, 1st Viscount Mayo|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.<ref name="40th"/>

She most likely died at [[Rockfleet Castle]] 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]].

==Biographical sources==
In her 2006 biography of O'Malley, Irish historian and novelist [[Anne Chambers (author)|Anne Chambers]] described her as:

{{blockquote|a fearless leader, by land and by sea, a political pragmatist and politician, a ruthless plunderer, a mercenary, a rebel, a shrewd and able negotiator, the protective matriarch of her family and tribe, a genuine inheritor of the Mother Goddess and Warrior Queen attributes of her remote ancestors. Above all else, she emerges as a woman who broke the mould and thereby played a unique role in history.<ref>''Granuaile: Grace O'Malley: Grace O'Malley – Ireland's Pirate Queen'', by Anne Chambers; Foreword; Gill & Macmillan Ltd, 2006; {{ISBN|0717151743}}, 9780717151745</ref>}}

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.<ref name="Chambers 2003"/> 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]], to his son [[Phillip Sidney|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&nbsp;..."<ref name="Lambeth Palace Library 2003, p. 85"/>

Local traditions concerning her were collected by Irish scholar [[John O'Donovan (scholar)|John O'Donovan]] in the 1830s and 1840s on behalf of the [[Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland|Ordnance Survey of Ireland]]. 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".

{{blockquote|Charles Cormick of Erris, now 74 years and six weeks old, saw and conversed with Elizabeth O'Donnell of Newtown within the Mullet, who died about 65 years ago who had seen and intimately known a Mr Walsh who remembered O'Malley. Walsh died at the age of 107 and his father was the same age as O'Malley.<ref>Gaisford St Lawrence Papers, cited in Chambers 2003, p. 73</ref>}}

A story is recorded of O'Malley chiding her son Tíoboíd in the course of an attack on [[Kanturk]] Castle, when she thought he was shirking the battle: {{lang|ga|"An ag iarraidh dul i bhfolach ar mo thóin atá tú, an áit a dtáinig tú as?"}} ("Are you trying to hide in my arse, the place that you came out of?").<ref name="Ordnance Survey Letters 2003">Ordnance Survey Letters, Mayo, vol. II, cited in Chambers 2003, spelling modernised.</ref> She is also recorded as saying, with regard to her followers, {{lang|ga|"go mb'fhearr léi lán loinge de chlann Chonraoi agus de chlann Mhic an Fhailí ná lán loinge d'ór"}} (that she would rather have a shipload of Conroys and MacAnallys than a shipload of gold).<ref name="Ordnance Survey Letters 2003"/>

==Westport House==
[[File:Statue of Gráinne Mhaol in Westport House.jpg|thumb|Statue of Gráinne Mhaol in Westport House]]
[[Westport House]] in County Mayo, Ireland, was the seat of the Browne dynasty, [[Marquess of Sligo|Marquesses of Sligo]], direct descendants of Grace O'Malley. The current house was built close to the site of Cahernamart ({{lang|ga|Cathair na Mart}} – "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)]], 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 [[Jeremy Browne, 11th Marquess of Sligo|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.<ref>''Westport House: A Brief History'', Westport House, 2008</ref> Westport House also contains an exhibition on the life of O'Malley compiled by the author [[Anne Chambers (author)|Anne Chambers]], who wrote a biography of Granuaile.{{fact|date=January 2025}}

==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 [[National personification|personification]] of Ireland:<ref>{{cite book |first=James |last=Hardiman |author-link=James Hardiman |title=Irish Minstrelsy; or Bardic Remains of Ireland, Volume 2 |year=1831 |page=[https://archive.org/details/irishminstrelsy00hardgoog/page/n154 140] |publisher=J. Robins |url=https://archive.org/details/irishminstrelsy00hardgoog}}
{{blockquote|Her name has been frequently used by our Bards, to designate Ireland. Hence our Countrymen have been often called "Sons of old Grana Weal".}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Granuaile |url=http://www.folklorist.org/song/Granuaile |access-date=31 May 2011}}</ref>

===Music===

* The [[Irish language]] poet and [[Easter Rising]] leader [[Patrick Pearse]] used Gráinne O'Malley as a symbol of [[Irish republicanism]] in his lyrics to [[Óró sé do bheatha abhaile]].
* In 1985, the Irish composer and singer [[Shaun Davey]] composed a suite of music based on the life and times of O'Malley, ''[[Granuaile (album)|Granuaile]]'', published in 1986.
*The Indulgers' 2000 album ''In Like Flynn'' includes a song entitled "Granuaile", which is centred on the legend of O'Malley.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Indulgers Music Page |url=http://www.shamrocker.com/audio.html |publisher=The Indulgers |access-date=18 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080608234243/http://shamrocker.com/audio.html |archive-date=8 June 2008}}</ref>
*[[Dead Can Dance]]'s 2012 album ''[[Anastasis (album)|Anastasis]]'' features a song titled "Return of the She-King", which was inspired by O'Malley.<ref name=Interview>{{cite web |last=Reesman |title=Interview with Dead Can Dance |url=http://www.theaquarian.com/2012/08/22/interview-with-dead-can-dance-regal-resurrection/ |work=The Aquarian |access-date=22 August 2012}}</ref>
*The Irish musician Gavin Dunne ([[Miracle of Sound]]) released a song entitled "Gráinne Mhaol, Queen of Pirates" on his 2015 album ''[[Metal Up]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://miracleofsound.bandcamp.com/track/gr-inne-mhaol-queen-of-pirates |title=Gráinne Mhaol, Queen of Pirates, by Miracle of Sound |website=Miracle of Sound |access-date=2017-04-01}}</ref>
*The Canadian folk punk band [[The Dreadnoughts]] released a song entitled "Grace O'Malley" on their 2009 ''Victory Square'' album.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thedreadnoughts.bandcamp.com/album/victory-square|title=Victory Square, by The Dreadnoughts|website=The Dreadnoughts|access-date=2019-10-23}}</ref>
*The Swedish [[melodic death metal]] band Frantic Amber released a song entitled "Graínne Mhaol" on their 2017 digital re-release of the originally 2015 released album "Burning Insight".{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
* 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<ref>{{Citation |title=Rule #23 – Birds of a Feather – Fish in a Birdcage | date=27 September 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck7fKiOPeaA |access-date=2023-04-16}}</ref>

===Theatre===
* The play ''Short-Haired Grace'' by Bill Breuhl depicting the meeting between O'Malley and Queen Elizabeth debuted at the [[Merrimack Repertory Theatre]] Lowell, Massachusetts, 2002 <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mrt.org/about-mrt/production-history|title=Production History &#124; Merrimack Repertory Theatre|website=mrt.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.milforddailynews.com/story/entertainment/2002/01/24/short-haired-grace-explores/41232465007/|title='Short-Haired Grace' explores moment in Elizabethan history|first=David Brooks|last=Andrews|website=Milford Daily News}}</ref>
* The play ''Bald Grace'' by Marki Shalloe debuted at Chicago's Stockyards Theatre in 2005, and was featured at [[Atlanta]]'s Theatre Gael (America's oldest Irish-American theatre) in 2006.<ref name="TheatreGael">{{cite web |url=http://www.theatregael.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010302133644/http://www.theatregael.com/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=2 March 2001 |title=Current Events: The Marki Shalloe Theatre Festival, October 21 – November 5, 2006 |publisher=Theatre Gael |access-date=8 April 2007}}</ref>
*The Broadway musical ''[[The Pirate Queen]]'' depicting O'Malley's life debuted at the Hilton Theater in 2007, with [[Stephanie J. Block]] portraying O'Malley.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/06/theater/reviews/06pira.html|title=The Pirate Queen – Review – Theater|last=Brantley|first=Ben|date=2007-04-06|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-02-22|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://amnwtheplay.com/default.aspx|title=AMNW About the Play|date=8 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208051706/http://amnwtheplay.com/default.aspx |archive-date=8 February 2011 }}</ref>{{full citation needed|date=December 2022}}
* 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.<ref>See J. Costello, K. Doyle, L. Errity, and A. L. Mentxaka, ''Grainne: A Play''. Dublin: Gur Cake Editions, 2015.</ref>
* 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:f73578dd-912b-4529-b04a-d60c8809c203#pageNum=1|title=Adobe Acrobat|website=acrobat.adobe.com}}</ref>{{full citation needed|date=December 2022}}

===Literature===
* [[James Joyce]] used the legend of Grace O'Malley ("her grace o'malice") and the [[Earl of Howth]] in chapter 1 of his 1939 novel ''[[Finnegans Wake]]''.
* [[Morgan Llywelyn]] wrote a 1986 historical fiction titled ''[[Grania: She-King of the Irish Seas]]''.
* [[Neal Stephenson]] 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''). [[Cló Iar-Chonnacht|Cois Life]]. {{ISBN|978-1-907494-97-0}}.
* [[John Crowley (author)|John Crowley]]'s 2022 novel ''Flint and Mirror'' includes the character Gráinne O’Malley. {{ISBN | 9781250817525}}.

===Statues===
* At Westport House – see above.
* Outside [[Old St. Patrick's Church (Chicago)|"Old St Pat's" Church]], [[Chicago]]

===Other ===
* ''Grace O'Malley Park'' in [[Howth|Howth, Ireland]] commemorates her supposed attempt in 1576 to visit the nearby [[Howth Castle]]. According to legend, Granuaile temporarily abducted a family member after being denied entry.<ref>{{cite podcast |first1=Tim |last1=McInerny |first2=Naomi |last2=O'Leary |edition=6 |work=The Irish Passport |title=Irish Elites |publisher=[[SoundCloud]] |url=https://www.theirishpassport.com/podcast/episode-6-elites/ |date=13 July 2017 |time=5:30 |access-date=6 November 2018}}</ref>
* Since 1948, the [[Commissioners of Irish Lights]] 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]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Ships in the Irish Lighthouse Service |url=http://www.cil.ie/sh675x4546.html |publisher=Commissioners of Irish Lights |access-date=10 February 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203021942/http://www.cil.ie/sh675x4546.html |archive-date=3 February 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gsiseabed.ie/granuaile.htm|title=Granuaile the latest vessel in the National Seabed Survey|website=www.gsiseabed.ie}}</ref>
* In [[Tampa, Florida]], 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]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Ye Loyal Krewe of Grace O'Malley |url=http://sites.google.com/site/kreweofgraceomalley/ |access-date=31 January 2011 |archive-date=7 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407233718/https://sites.google.com/site/kreweofgraceomalley/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Gráinne (given name)]]
* [[Irish galley]]
* [[Castlekirk]]
* [[Inishbofin, County Galway]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

'''Sources'''
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last= Chambers|first= Anne|title= Granuaile: Ireland's pirate queen Grace O'Malley c. 1530–1603|year= 2003|publisher= Dublin: Wolfhound Press|isbn= 0-86327-913-9|url-access= registration|url= https://archive.org/details/granuaile00anne}}
* {{cite book|last= Chambers|first= Anne|title= Ireland's Pirate Queen: The True Story of Grace O'Malley|location= New York |publisher=MJF Books|year= 2003|isbn= 978-1-56731-858-6|url-access= registration|url= https://archive.org/details/irelandspiratequ0000cham|ref=none}} (This is a second, American edition of the book above)
* {{cite book|last= Cook|first= Judith| year= 2004 |title= Pirate Queen: the life of Grace O'Malley 1530–1603|location= Cork |publisher=Mercier Press|isbn= 1-85635-443-1}}
* {{cite book|author-link = Joan Druett| last = Druett|first= Joan |year= 2000 |title = She Captains: Heroines and Hellions of the Sea| publisher= Simon & Schuster|isbn=0684856905}}
{{refend}}

*  Song Carter Ron, Rockin' Ron the friendly pirate (2019) Pirate Grace O'Malley, Album Talk like a pirate [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvKtbiAjRpQ Pirate Grace O'Malley]

==Further reading==
* {{cite web |last1=Curzon |first1=Catherine |title=Grace O'Malley, the Fearless 16th-Century Irish Pirate Queen Who Stood Up to the English |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/571511/grace-omalley-pirate-queen |website=[[Mental Floss]] |date=30 January 2019 |access-date=26 March 2021}}
* {{Cite ODNB|first=Mary|last=O'Dowd|title=O'Malley, Gráinne (''fl''. 1577–1597)|year=2008|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/20753}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Schwind |first=Mona L. |title=Nurse to all rebellions: Grace O'Malley and sixteenth-century Connacht |journal=Éire-Ireland |volume=13 |year=1978 |pages=40–61 }}

==External links==
* [http://www.graceomalley.com/ Grace O'Malley"] page by Anne Chambers 
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V9xnfV9hd0&list=PLC134484A22E736C8 Gráinne Mhaol, "The Pirate Queen"] by Patrick Flannery
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~nwa/grace.html Judy Staley's article about Grace O'Malley on Rootsweb]
* [http://bestoflegends.org/pirates/grainne.html Best of Legends entry on Grace O'Malley]
* [http://111george.com/jaymin/granuail.htm Granuaile story and poem]
* [http://www.musicanet.org/robokopp/eire/orosedob.htm The song where Grace O'Malley is celebrated, "Óró 'Sé Do Bheatha 'Bhaile"]

{{Pirates}}
{{National personifications}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:OMalley, Grace}}
[[Category:1530s births]]
[[Category:1600s deaths]]
[[Category:Irish outlaws]]
[[Category:Irish pirates]]
[[Category:Irish sailors]]
[[Category:Irish female pirates]]
[[Category:People from County Mayo]]
[[Category:Women in 16th-century warfare]]
[[Category:People of Elizabethan Ireland]]
[[Category:People of the Nine Years' War (Ireland)]]
[[Category:Irish folklore]]
[[Category:Irish rebels]]
[[Category:Irish lords]]
[[Category:Women of the Tudor period]]
[[Category:16th-century Irish women]]
[[Category:17th-century Irish women]]
[[Category:16th-century Irish people]]
[[Category:17th-century Irish people]]
[[Category:Women in war in Ireland]]
[[Category:16th-century pirates]]
[[Category:17th-century pirates]]
[[Category:Gaels]]
[[Category:Maritime folklore]]
[[Category:Irish legends]]
[[Category:Piracy in the Atlantic Ocean]]