In Depth

Local Hero: Pirate Grace O'Malley

Grace O'Malley, the "Pirate Queen," was born in 1530 in Clare Island. She was, by all accounts, ahead of her time. A heroine, adventurer, pirate, gambler, mercenary, traitor, chieftain, and noblewoman, she is remembered now with affection, although at the time she was feared and despised. Even as a child, she was fiercely independent. When her mother refused to let her sail with her father, she cut off her hair and dressed in boys' clothing. Her father called her "Grainne Mhaol," or "Bald Grace," later shortened to Granuaile, a nickname she'd carry all her life.

At 16, Grace married Donal O'Flaherty, second in line to the O'Flaherty clan chieftain, who ruled all of Connacht. A few years later, her career as a pirate began when the city of Galway, one of the largest trade centers in the British Isles, refused to trade with the O'Flahertys. Grace used her fleet of fast galleys to waylay slower vessels on their way into Galway Harbour. She then offered safe passage for a fee in lieu of pillaging the ships.

She is most fondly remembered for refusing to trade her lands in return for an English title, a common practice of the day.

At the age of 56, she was captured by the English, who planned to hang her. Instead, she was released on the condition that she would stop all piracy. She was stripped of her cattle and most of her lands and forced into poverty. In return, she defied authority and continued to sail. To this day, the Irish think of her as a defender of Gaelic life.