14. A Pirate Queen Meets Queen Elizabeth I
Grace O’Malley became Ireland’s sea mistress and a fearless pirate queen who controlled the waters around Connaught with an iron fist. She preyed on ships and coastal communities along Ireland’s western coast, as well as on eastern settlements on the Irish Sea. While expanding her control, she personally led a raid on a seaside stronghold known as Cocks Castle. To commemorate her courage in its capture, it became known thereafter as Hens Castle. After defeating the Spanish Armada in 1588, the English were able to focus on consolidating their grip on Ireland, and fighting Irish pirates such as O’Malley.
In response, O’Malley allied with Irish lords rebelling against the English. However, in 1593, the English captured her sons and brother, so she sailed to England, to petition Queen Elizabeth I for their release. She met the English queen at Greenwich Castle, where Grace reportedly refused to bow, on the grounds that she did not recognize Elizabeth as Ireland’s queen. Elizabeth extracted from O’Malley a promise to stop helping Irish rebels. However, Elizabeth did not live up to her part of the bargain, so O’Malley went back to helping the rebels, and reportedly died in one of her castles in 1603.
