Pirate Queen of Connacht

Pirate Queen of Connacht 1530-1603
Grace O'Malley or Gráinne Ni Mháille was a famous female pirate, seafarer, trader and chieftain in Ireland in the 1500's. Twice widowed and imprisoned, she fought all comers at the head of a force of 200 sea-raiders to protect her rights and those of her people. At one time condemned to death, Queen Elizabeth I later pardoned her after a meeting between the two...

Grace left England with a pardon and an order for Sir Richard to supply her with a pension. Her son was soon released by order of the Queen and Sir Richard was replaced in two years. Grace remained a pirate as her fleet continued to sail the sea, but this time it sailed without her, as her advanced age no longer permitted her voyages. Grace died in 1603, a pirate to the end.

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