1597: At the ’great age’ of 67, Grace is recorded still actively leading her men by sea in a retaliatory attack on MacNeil of Barra off the Scottish coast. 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. 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". O’Malley, Grace, or Grania Uaile, a Connaught princess, who flourished in the 16th century.Her father, Owen O’Malley, was a noted leader of piratical expeditions, and she appears to have followed in his footsteps. Grace O'Malley (c. 1530 – c. 1603) - in her native Irish language Gráinne Ní Mháille, also known as Gráinne O'Malley, was the head of the Ó Máille dynasty in the west of Ireland, and the daughter of Eoghan Dubhdara Ó Máille. In fact, she was born into Irish nobility, the daughter of southern Irish chieftain and wealthy sea trader. She bore three children during her marriage to Dónal an Chogaidh: In 1565, Dónal was killed in an ambush while hunting in the hills surrounding Lough Corrib; this was, undoubtedly, part of Dónal's wider struggle with the Joyces for control of Hen's Castle on the lough. Together, Grace and Bob shared a lifetime of joyous adventures. Grace O'Malley dominated the shipping lanes and accumulated tons of wealth during her lifetime. The last years of Grace O’Malley are shrouded in mystery. In her 2006 biography of Ní Mháille, Irish historian and novelist Anne Chambers described her as: 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. Her reply is not recorded. Ní Mháille had every reason, and used every opportunity, to limit the power of the Kingdom of Ireland over her part of the country. … Bingham continued to plague Ní Mháille and in 1594 troops were quartered on her lands. In 1576, Ní Mháille engaged in the surrender and regrant process with the Lord Deputy Sir Henry Sidney in respect of her lands. Ní Mháille'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 personification of Ireland:[31][32], Her name has been frequently used by our Bards, to designate Ireland. The song where Grace O'Malley is celebrated, Paris Declaration Respecting Maritime Law, Jim Hawkins and the Curse of Treasure Island, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grace_O%27Malley&oldid=999498043, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the ODNB, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in Hiberno-English, Pages which use embedded infobox templates with the title parameter, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Land-owner, sea-captain, political activist. Her occupation was listed as housework. Her name was also rendered in contemporary 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. 'Westport House A Brief History' Westport House 2008. In 1593, in his letter to protest Ní Mháille's claims against him, Sir Richard Bingham claimed that she was "nurse to all rebellions in the province for this forty years". Westport House in County Mayo, Ireland, was the seat of the Browne dynasty, Marquesses of Sligo, direct descendants of Gráinne Ní Mháille. One of Grace O'Malley's nicknames was 'the girl with the cropped hair'. Under the policies of the English government at the time, the semi-autonomous Irish princes and lords were left mostly to their own devices. In 1593, when her two sons Tibbot Burke and Murrough O'Flaherty, and her half-brother Dónal na Píopa were captured by the English governor of Connacht, Sir Richard Bingham, Ní Mháille sailed to England to petition Queen Elizabeth I for their release. Hence our Countrymen have been often called “Sons of old Grana Weal.”, Pirate, Queen of Umaill, chieftain of the Ó Máille clan, Statue of Grainne Mhaol Ní Mhaille, outside, harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFChambers2003 (, Lambeth Palace Library, ms. no 601, p. 10, cited in Chambers 2003, p. 85, Calendar of State Papers Relating to Ireland (James I) 1623, no. [3] She is also mentioned in the English State Papers and in other documents of the kind.[4]. Behind the myths of Grace O’Malley, pirate queen, and Gráinne Mhaol, icon of Ireland, stands Gráinne Ní Máille, a proud and courageous woman, determined to ensure that she and her family received their rights. She is known by several spellings of her name, including Grainne Ni Mhaille, Grainne Mhaol, Granuaile, and Grany) She was the daughter of one of the most powerful chieftains on the west coast and became the wife of two others. On 18 April 1595 she petitioned Lord Burghley, complaining of the activities of troops and asking to hold her estate for Elizabeth I. Ní Mháille refused to bow before Elizabeth because she didn't recognise her as the "Queen of Ireland". II, cited in Chambers 2003, spelling modernised. In the late 16th century, English power steadily grew in Ireland and Ní Mháille's power was steadily encroached upon. Her death. © copyright 2003-2021 Study.com. Her larger vessels were generally moored off Clare Island, where her chief stronghold was situated, whilst her smaller craft were kept at Carrigahowly Castle, in Newport Bay. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. [10] After much talk, the women came to an agreement that included that Elizabeth would remove Bingham from his position in Ireland, and Ní Mháille would stop supporting the Irish lords' rebellions.[22]. She was probably formally educated, since she is believed to have spoken in Latin with Queen Elizabeth I in 1593. She was never conquered, never defeated, and died an old woman living in a giant fucking castle on top of piles of gold coins and 25 year-old studs with rock-hard abs. The current house was built close to the site of Cahernamart (Cathair na Mart - "fort of the beef market"), an Ó Máille fort. She was also known as Gráinne Ní Mháille or Granuaile. Services, Mapping the World, Seaborne Commerce & Piracy, Working Scholars® Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. Walsh died at the age of 107 and his father was the same age as Gráinne. She formally presented her request to Queen Elizabeth I at her court in Greenwich Palace. Upon his death, she inherited his large shipping and trading business. From the age of eleven, she forged a career in seafaring and piracy and was considered a fierce leader at sea and a shrewd politician on land. Her mother, Margaret or Maeve, was also a Ní Mháille. [10], Ní Mháille was married in 1546 to Dónal an Chogaidh Ó Flaithbheartaigh, tánaiste or heir to the Ó Flaithbheartaigh (O'Flaherty) title, which would have been a good political match for the daughter of the Ó Máille chieftain. [26] 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 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 ..."[27]. Born to an Irish chieftain in a remote corner of County Mayo, Grace O’Malley forged a career in seafaring and piracy that spanned over 40 years. From her earliest days, she rejected the role of the 16th-century woman, instead embracing life on the sea with the fleet of O'Malley trading ships. 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