Born in mid-15th century Ireland, Granuaile Ni Mhaille (Grace O’Malley) was the only child of Owen ‘Black Oak’ O’Malley. He was one of the fiercely independent chieftains that ruled Ireland but the English were encroaching upon them.
The O'Malleys were a sea-faring clan who made their living on the waters. They sailed across oceans to trade, taxed people fishing in their waters, occasionally plundered traders and rival clans, and controlled coastal castles to protect their lands in western Ireland.
Grace was educated, but the blood of her royal ancestors ran hot in her veins. She longed to be out sailing with her father and his men and begged to accompany them on a trip to Spain. Her father refused to allow Grace to accompany them due to her gender and he used her long hair as an excuse, saying it would get tangled in the ropes of the ship.
Not daunted, Grace cut all her hair off, which was much more of a shocking thing to do in those times, than it is today. Black Oak O'Malley relented and allowed his determined daughter to go with him on a voyage to Spain. From the tender age of eleven, Grace learned to be a fighter and a leader of men in battle.
Grace moved swiftly against the Joyce clan and fought fiercely to keep the castle.
Grace was married to Donal O'Flaherty who was the son of a neighbouring chieftain, around the age of 15. The O’Flaherty’s were also a seafaring clan and held Grace in high regard due to her experience on the sea. Donal and Grace had three children together but one day Donal was ambushed while out hunting, by a rival clan.
The Joyce clan moved to take over Donal's castle, not in the least expecting any resistance from his widow who was ‘just a woman.’ Grace drove them off in a counteroffensive so fierce she was compared to a hen protecting her brood, giving the fortress the name "Hen's Castle.”
Grace returned to her father's lands, not as a dependent woman but as the leader of Donal’s men. She may have built, or at least improved upon, the tower house, now known as Granuaile's Castle, which became one of three strongholds she maintained throughout the rest of her life. The men who had served under Donal followed her to her new home and swore their allegiance to her, suggesting she had already established herself as a strong leader who rewarded personal loyalty. She made Clare Island her stronghold and, with her three galleys and band of fighting men, embarked on a career of piracy on the high seas.
With a number of ships at her command, Grace and her men used them for trade and to exact tribute from passing ships, earning her the name of "pirate queen" for her efforts. Her father had died by this time, and she assumed the title and responsibilities of Lord of the O'Malley clan, which included exacting tribute from those who plied her waters.
She rescued Hugh de Lacy from a shipwreck in 1565 and took him as her lover until he was killed by the MacMahon clan of Doona Castle. Filled with fury, Grace ambushed the McMahon Clan and killed all those involved in de Lacy's murder and went on to defeat their castle at Doona and claimed it for herself. Because of this, she was called the Dark Lady of Doona and her fame as a formidable adversary spread.
Grace married again to a powerful chieftain called Richard 'the Iron' Bourke. It was a trial marriage, which was common in Ireland at that time. At the end of the trial period, Grace locked her husband out of his own castle and said, 'I dismiss thee' which was a declaration of divorce, but she and Richard reconciled and remained married until his death some 20 years later.
Grace wrapped her newborn in a blanket and rushed to the deck, stirring up her men to fight.
Grace maintained her life as a pirate chief, leading her galleys and fighting men. Her fourth child, Theobert was born at sea. During his birth, Barbary pirates were spotted approaching. Shortly after the baby was delivered, the pirates attacked and boarded the ship. The tide of the fight was turning against Grace’s men so Grace wrapped her newborn in a blanket and stormed up to the deck to lead her men in the fight. The pirates were repelled.
When Richard died, Grace took the strategic Rockfleet Castle and ruled her lands from there. Such was the power of her leadership that men still followed her in a time where women did not take on such roles of leadership. Grace smashed all of the gender norms of her time, continuing to spend her time sea-faring.
Grace found herself pitted against an implacable English enemy in the form of Sir Richard Bingham, the appointed governor to Ireland. He was determined to bring Grace and all Ireland to heel. Grace mounted a resistance and Sir Richard tricked and killed Grace's oldest son, imprisoned her son, Theobert and Grace herself was lured into a trap.
Sir Richard condemned her to death for being a rebel against the English. Only the intervention of her son-in-law saved Grace and saw her freed from both prison and death. Sir Richard, meanwhile, was sent away, and Grace appealed to his rival and received pardons for herself and her children.
When her son and half-brother were captured and taken to England where they were thrown in prison. Grace sailed with her men to parley with Elizabeth I, Queen of England. When Grace was taken before the queen, she refused to bow to her as she considered herself a queen also and therefore, Elizabeth's equal.
She and Elizabeth were the same age, both of them were powerful leaders in a time when women were expected to remain in the background. That power of personality that Grace had, won over the English queen, who granted Grace the right to remain in possession of her lands and to wreak fire and sword upon her majesty's enemies. This was much to the horror of Sir Richard Bingham who considered Grace to be the source of all rebellions against the English. He continued to make things as difficult as possible for Grace, without openly defying his queen.
Legends of Grace O’Malley
She would frequently stop at Howth to replenish her ships. On one occasion, she was denied hospitality by the lord as he was entertaining guests. Grace thought this was a serious breach of Irish laws of hospitality and proceeded to kidnap his heir. She refused to return him until Lord Howth promised that there would always be a table set at Howth Castle for an extra guest. To this day there is always an extra place set at the table.
Grace declared that she would rather a shipload of Conroys and MacAnallys than a shipload of gold.
Grace continued to be a formidable leader and a famous sea captain until the age of 67. It is believed that she died of natural causes at around 73 years old and in the same year as Queen Elizabeth passed away (1603).
I loved this story of Grace O’Malley. She was a remarkable woman with a force of character unimaginable. She never allowed the opinions or rules of others to define or confine her.
February Books
The books for this month are viewable by clicking on the banner or book cover images below.
Writing Things:
As far as writing goes, I am working on a new historical fiction book, a novella for the Agata books plus a side-step into modern fantasy…I think it could be called urban fantasy. This is a fun challenged posed to me by my children. It will have one of my sons as a side character (one of the bad guys) because I threatened to put the cheeky so and so in a book and then kill him off. He was quite taken with the idea. We’ll see how that goes!!
Books I read in January:
I didn’t find any books that grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. The two below were okay but I could easily put them down.
Vindolanda by Adrian Goldsworthy
AD 98. Vindolanda
A fort on the edge of the Roman world.
The bustling army base at Vindolanda lies on the northern frontier of Britannia and the entire Roman world. Its defences are weak as tribes rebel against Rome.
It falls to Flavius Ferox, Briton and Roman centurion, to keep the peace. But it will take more than just a soldier’s courage to survive life in Roman Britain.
The author is one of Britain’s leading historians and he really knows his stuff! If you enjoy reading novels about Roman soldiers, armies and politics, this book may be the one for you.
You can find it here.
Soldier Son by D.K. Holmberg
Recently I heard the term ‘noblebright’ as opposed to ‘grimdark’. It’s a genre for people who may like historical fantasy fiction (a la Game of Thrones) but find it too dark and gritty (like me - I was so repulsed by the explicit content of GOT that I didn’t watch the show). Instead of characters who are morally corrupt, noblebright characters are those who fight off the darkness both without and within (like the Lord of the Rings series).
Soldier Son was by a noblebright author and I decided to check it out. Not a bad story, but again, I could put it down easily.
Soldier Son
Endric wants only to serve, but he's destined to lead.
As the second son of the general of the Denraen, Endric wants only to fight, not the commission his father demands of him. When a strange attack in the south leads to the loss of someone close to him, only Endric seems concerned about what happened.
All signs point to an attack on the city, and betrayal by someone deep within the Denraen, but his father no longer trusts his judgment. This forces Endric to make another impulsive decision, one that leads him far from the city on a journey where he discovers how little he knew, and how much more he has to understand. If he can prove himself in time, and with the help of his new allies, he can stop a greater disaster.
Check it out here.
Life:
Our homeschooing is going great. I can honestly say that I am thoroughly enjoying my time with the kids.
I’ve also set up a casual patchwork project. One that is easy to pick up and then put away. I adore fabric, although I concede that some definitions of patchwork sound a little nuts ie. we cut up fabric and then stitch it back together again!
Giving up coffee.
It is time.
I’ve drunk the stuff for more than 20 years; too sweet, too strong and now it’s time to give my stomach a rest. The first two weeks were okay but the Third Week was Torture.
Anyway, it’s not just caffeine withdrawal but sugar withdrawal and I’m extra protective of my occasional Freddo frog treat ;)
I hope you have a wonderful February with lots of great books to read and fun things to do.
Until Next Time,
P.S. Free Book offer. Click image to access.
Sequel