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Granuaile (aka Grace O'Malley) - Irish Pirate

© Cindy Vallar

There came to me...a most famous feminine sea captain.... This was a notorious woman in all the coasts of Ireland. - Sir Henry Sidney, Lord Deputy of Ireland 1576

Pursuit of maritime trading in the Atlantic from Ireland to Spain or Scotland required only the most stalwart and skilled of sailors. The harsh weather, hazardous conditions, and pirate attacks often proved fatal. One Irish clan, in particular, proved adept at mastering those dangers - the O'Malleys. While fishing occupied much of their time, they adapted a common practice amongst warring clans and became quite successful in the process. In the sixteenth century, cattle represented wealth and feuding clansmen often lifted enemy cattle. Being sailors, the O'Malleys took to the sea to raid their neighbors. Few victims sought reprisal because of the O'Malleys' seamanship and the remoteness of Clare Island.

Granuaile was born around 1530, the only daughter of Dudara and Margaret O'Malley. Her father was a sea captain and chieftain of the O'Malley clan. From an early age Granuaile welcomed danger and despised cowardice. She possessed an astuteness of politics and tactics, and utilized this to negotiate shrewd deals. She dared the impossible to gain the advantage. She led by example. According to one legend, the English attacked her father's ship on a return voyage from Spain. Ignoring her father's order to stay belowdecks, she saved his life by jumping on his attacker's back. Another oft-told tale tells of the day after her youngest son's birth at sea. Algerian pirates attacked Granuaile's ship. When her men began to lose, she dashed on deck and rallied them to defeat the pirates.

At the age of fifteen or sixteen she wed Donal O'Flaherty. They had three children: Owen, Murrough, and Margaret. Her husband proved inept in providing for his people, so Granuaile stepped forward to help them survive. Although the law forbade her from holding the chieftaincy, she in fact became chief. When her husband died and her inheritance was denied her, she returned to her father's home and sailed aboard his ships. Two hundred men followed her to Clare Island and under her leadership they embarked on a career of piracy, or as Granuaile preferred to say "maintenance by land and sea. "

Her fleet of swift galleys could sail into shallow waters or endure the rough waters of the Atlantic. At least thirty men manned the oars and when winds were favorable, sail drove the vessels. Often, Granuaile waylaid merchant ships bound for Galway, a port closed to the O'Malleys. Once on board, she negotiated with the captain, levying tolls and providing pilots for safe passage. If her offer was refused, her men pirated the merchant's cargo.