Grace O’Malley
Introduction:
Grace O'Malley (c.â1530 â c. 1603) (Irish: GrĂĄinne NĂ MhĂĄille), was the daughter of a chieftain in County Mayo, Ireland. She became a famous and influential leader in her own right--commanding a fleet of ships, practicing piracy and negotiating face-to-face with Queen Elizabeth I herself. In popular culture, where she is sometimes called "The Pirate Queen," her unique story has developed folklore of its own but she was a real historical character who appears in first-hand source documents, primarily from England. She is known by many names including Granuaile, Grana Weal, GrĂĄinne Mhaol, GrĂĄinne O'Maly, Graney O'Mally, Granny ni Maille, Grany O'Mally, Grayn Ny Mayle, Grane ne Male and Grainy O'Maly.
Books in the McKiernan Library
Chambers, Anne.
The True Story of Grace OâMalley Irelandâs Pirate Queen. MJF Books, 2003.
DA 936 .O43 C53 2003NOTE: The book Granuaile : The Life and Times of Grace OâMalley c. 1530-1603 is an earlier edition of this same work by Chambers.
Moody, T.W. et al. eds.
A New History of Ireland v.3: Early Modern Ireland 1534-1691. Clarendon, 1976.
DA 912 .N48 v.3 1976
- Cordingly, David.
Under the Black Flag : The Romance and Reality of Life among the Pirates
G 535 .C635
- Ellis, Steven.
Tudor Ireland. Longman Group, 1986.
DA 935 .E58 1985
Berleth, Richard.
The Twilight Lords An Irish Chronicle. Alfred A. Knopf, 1978.
DA 937 .B47 1978
- Beckett, J.C.
The Making of Modern Ireland 1603-1923. Alfred A. Knopf, 1966.
DA 938 .B37
- Falls, Cyril.
Elizabethâs Irish Wars. Syracuse University Press, 1997.
DA 937 .F197 1997
- Mason, Thomas.
The Island of Ireland: Their Scenery, People, Life, and Antiquities. Batsford, 1950.
DA 977 .M381
Online sources
NOTE: Most primary source documents relating to Grace OâMalley are in archives in the United Kingdom.
- This blog post from the UKâs National Archives includes digital versions of some of the primary source documents: https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/meeting-grace-omalley-irelands-pirate-queen/
- Anne-Marie OâConnell.
GRĂINNE NĂ MHĂILLE OR â GRANUAILE â, AN IRISH WOMAN , A CHIEFTAIN & A NATIONAL SYMBOL. Revue Civilisations, 2010, Combat(s) de femme(s), 10, pp.15-44. Halshs-01325945
https://shs.hal.science/halshs-01325945
James Hardiman.
Irish Minstrelsy, Or, Bardic Remains of Ireland: With English Poetical Translations. J. Robins, 1831.
https://archive.org/details/irishminstrelsy01currgoogNOTE: This early collection of Irish songs and poetry includes some notes on âGrana Wealâ and how âSons of Old Grana Wealâ was used in verse to refer to Irishme
- Grace OâMalley biography from the Dictionary of Irish Biography:
https://www.dib.ie/biography/omalley-grainne-grace-granuaile-a6886
- Grace OâMalley biography from the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/20753