Crime Library: Criminal Minds and Methods

Grace O'Malley: The Pirate Queen

To Sea Again

Clare Island
Clare Island

In defiance of Brehon law, the O'Flahertys denied Grace the rightful benefits due the widow of a clan chieftain. She would have received a third of her deceased husband's possessions, which had grown through her efforts. Grace stubbornly refused to give in to enforced poverty. Taking her children, she returned to the O'Malley family home at Clare Castle. Grace knew she had to make a living and decided to once again turn to the sea. Her loyal crews remained with her, as they went to sea under her family motto "Terra Marique Potems" (Powerful by Land and Sea).

The legendary exploits of Grace O'Malley grew rapidly throughout the years. This aggravated the English, who began monitoring her movements with the hope of catching her in the act of pirating. They would then have grounds to seize her and her vessels. The English saw this as a prodigious step toward quelling the rebellious Irish. 

The lady pirate and her crews dominated passage in the coastal waters along western Ireland. Clare Island proved to be a perfect lookout for watching Clew Bay and the coastline for oncoming merchant ships.

A story is told that one day a violent storm hit the coast and Grace saw a ship foundering on the reefs in a channel. She set sail right away to relieve the vessel of its cargo. But, it was gone by the time she arrived at the site. Only one person from the wrecked ship had survived, Hugh de Lacy. Grace took the handsome half-dead sailor onboard her ship and headed home.

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