Photo: Clare Island ICP
Grace O’Malley was born circa 1530 in Co. Mayo. She would come to be commonly known as “The Sea Queen of Connacht” or “Gráinne Mhaol” (meaning bald Gráinne – she earned this nickname from cutting off all of her hair to be let go on a trading expedition to Spain with her father after being told she could not go as her hair would get caught in the ships ropes). Her father, Owen O’Malley, was chieftain of the Ó Máille clan and a sea captain and Grace spent her younger years learning from him.
Grace married twice in her life. The first time, when she was 16, to Donal O’Flaherty who was the son of the chieftain of the O’Flaherty clan. They had 3 children together, Owen, Margaret and Murrough. Donal was killed in an ambush in 1565 and Gráinne then returned to her own land and made her primary residence on Clare Island. In 1566, Gráinne married Richard Burke. It is said that she travelled to Rockfleet Castle, which Richard owned, and proposed marriage to Richard for one year. It is suspected that the marriage came about as a result of Gráinne wanting to increase her holdings and prestige. The couple had one son together, Tiobóid, who would be later knighted . After a year of marriage, Gráinne apparently said to her husband “I release you” and, as she was in possession of the Castle at the time, she kept it. It remained for centuries in the O’Malley family and is now open to the public.
From their base at Rockfleet Castle, the O’Malley’s reportedly attacked ships on their shoreline and taxed all of those that fished off their coasts. O’Malley’s ships would stop to board the traders and take cash or cargo for their safe passage to Galway. Resistance to comply would be met with violence.
After years of fighting the English, at the age of 56, Gráinne was captured by Sir Richard Bingham (who was a Governor appointed by the Queen to rule over regranted territories) and scheduled to be hanged. Ultimately Gráinne’s son-in-law offered himself in exchange for the promise that she would discontinue her rebellious ways. She was released, but eventually Bingham would be responsible for taking away her cattle and forcing her into poverty. In 1593 after the capture of Gráinne’s brother and son by English forces, she visited Queen Elizabeth to make peace and request the release of her family and her assets. She told the Queen that her acts in the past had been in self-defence and not rebellion and promised to help defend the Queen from her enemies at sea. The Queen agreed to her request and Gráinnes brother and son were released. Her assets, however, were not returned and eventually Gráinne went back to supporting the Irish insurgents during the Nine Years War.
Gráinne died circa 1603 in Rockfleet Castle.
Sources: rootsweb.ancentry.com, ancient-origins.net, Wikipedia
| Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 1st Jan 1530 | |
| Date of Death | 1st Jan 1603 | |
| Associated Building (s) | Rockfleet Castle | |
| Father (First Name/s and Surname) | Owen O'Malley | |
| Spouse (First Name/s and Maiden/Surname) | Donal O'Flaherty | |
| Number of Children | 4 | |
