The Start of a Piratical Career
The rulers and inhabitants of Connaught frequently feuded, raided each other, rustled cattle, captured and lost castles and strongholds, and otherwise vied for advantage and dominance. All were part of a clientele system, in which the weak aligned with the strong, and offered tribute in exchange for protection. The O’Malleys were Irish nobility with clients of their own, who looked to them for protection. They were, in turn, clients of another, even more powerful family. They traded produce and raw materials for luxury good, fished, ferried passengers, levied tolls on ships that passed through their waters, and engaged in opportunistic piracy.
For protection, the O’Malleys built a row of castles along the coast. Grace was born in that environment, married in 1546, and bore three children before her husband was killed in an ambush in 1565. Because of the era’s misogynistic laws, she was unable to inherit her husband’s property. So she settled on Clare Island, and made it her stronghold and base of operations. O’Malley started off with three galleys and a number of smaller boats. She commenced her career in piracy with attacks on ships that plied the region’s waters, and raids against coastal targets.
