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GRAiNNE Ni MHAillE: QUEEN OF
THE iRiSH SEAS
Grainne
NiMhaille, Grania the pirate she-king, Grace O’Malley: was she a bad girl or a
victim of circumstance?
Very little is known personally of Grainne
NiMhaille of sixteenth century Ireland. Only thin references to a visitation
with the English queen Elizabeth I verify her reality. But in what is now called
County Mayo, in Ireland’s west country, tales abound that have been handed
down over four centuries of generations. They chronicle Grainne’s career as a
successful privateer, a leader of her clan, and a woman who steadfastly went
against the conventions of her times. She commanded both ships at sea and the
respect of her seamen, her people, even Elizabeth.
While many of the stories may be purely
legend, they are, as most other legends spring from the actions of real people,
based on a real woman. Grainne NiMhaille’s father was a sea captain and clan
chieftain, and she followed in his footsteps across the decks of his ships,
learning to love the sea and all its gifts as well as its heartaches. As her
father’s life ebbed to a close, she naturally took his place, leading a fleet
of merchant ships, bringing home prosperity for her clan.
But times were changing inevitably for the
worse. England was in the process of completing its conquest of Ireland. Based
in Dublin, the English governors had colonized and fought their way piece-meal
across Ireland. Only the west country lands had been left untouched, but in the
latter half of the sixteenth century, their attention was turned there. Farming
became useless, as the English confiscated all crops grown, then sold only meager
and poor quality surplus back to the Irish at unreasonable costs. Trading by
Irish seafarers was outlawed except to the English, and always with the greater
advantage to the English. Prosperity disappeared. The Irish mariners took to
privateering, preying on merchant ships passing through Irish waters. It had
become a matter of survival.
Ruling from a tower overlooking Clew Bay,
Grainne became known as the "she-king of the Irish seas," a master of
privateering. In the eyes of the English, she was a pirate and was taken
prisoner twice. To Grainne, she was locked in a battle of wills with the
"she-king" of England, Elizabeth I, a woman she saw as similar to
herself in many ways.
In the end, Grainne won Elizabeth’s respect
and a measure of peace. Movingly described in Morgan Llywelyn’s book Grania,
Grainne contrived an audience with the queen. Wary at first, the two strong
women came to an understanding that bridged the vast differences in their
cultures. Elizabeth warmed to Grainne’s proud perseverance, coming to realize
that her raids were not meant as pure theft, but to feed her hungry people. The
queen granted Grainne a certain degree of autonomy for her lifetime.
Grainne NiMhaille probably did not take her
position in life just to prove she could captain a fleet of ships. She already
knew she could, possessing the knowledge, strength, perseverance, and respect of
her people. Given that, she represents a kind of strong woman who freely gave of
herself for her people, her land, her culture. The unusualness of her life
sparks inspiration even today, for anyone who finds that one thing they are
truly good at and are compelled to do, they will find a way to achieve that
goal, just as Grainne did.
This article first
appeared in Faces of the Goddess
magazine, Autumn1997
© Kathleen Cunningham Guler
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