Grace O'Malley: The Pirate Queen

Grace O'Malley

In 1567, Grace and her crew were returning from a trading mission, when she gave birth to a son, whom she named Theobald, nicknamed "Tibbot." The day after giving birth, Grace was resting in her cabin when their ship was attacked and boarded by Turkish pirates. A vicious hand-to-hand fight between them and her men ensued.

Anne Chambers writes of Grace hearing the tumultuous battle raging outside her cabin, as she lay in her bunk. It did not take long for her ship's captain to realize they were outnumbered.  He fought his way to Grace's cabin and told her they were losing the fight. Grace immediately jumped up from her bunk and railed at him for not being able to carry on without her for a single day.

Grace stormed onto the deck, emptying a blunderbuss at the Turks. When Grace's men saw this defiant act from their fearless leader, they became so reinvigorated that they won the battle and confiscated the Turkish ship.

Over the next several years, Grace continued to lead her men on many plundering expeditions in the Irish channels and on the open seas. Her fleet now numbered twenty ships and her notoriety had rapidly grown to legendary proportions. 

There was little doubt that this female pirate had become a powerful force to be reckoned with. Her blatant acts of maritime piracy were seriously impacting English trade revenues. Confronted with this reality, the English decided to stop this pirate chieftain's forays by defeating and capturing her.