Welcome to my weekly blog,  SATURDAY SESSIONS!

In this blog, for the perusal of all our students, past, present and future, I include an extract from our interactive presentation Course, Ireland and its Culture.

If you wish to ask me any question about the text, by the way, just send me an e-mail at greg@bluefeather.ie

THE PIRATE QUEEN OF IRELAND

Although she is now part of the legend and folklore tradition of Ireland, the amazing Gráinne Mhaol was an actual historical figure born in County Mayo in the year 1530. Her family, the O'Malleys, was one of the last of the Gaelic aristocracy of the 16th century.

When Gráinne was a child, she wanted to go with her father on a trip to Spain but she was told she couldn't go because (it was a poor excuse!) her long, golden hair would get caught in the ropes. In a fit of anger, she cut her hair short like a boy and from then on was known as Gráinne Mhaol, or 'Bald Gráinne'.

She grew up to know all about ships and sailing from her family and decided to become a pirate, but also a bitter enemy of the conquerors from England.

Henry VIII had declared himself King of Ireland. He was the first King of England to do so as Ireland approached a major turning point in its history.  The country was about to enter four centuries of bloodshed and darkness as an occupied nation.

Henry's troops were blocked by Gráinne from entering Galway Bay. Gráinne and her pirates raided ships and islands around the coast of Ireland and built up a huge fortune.

The Pirate Queen was known for her uncompromising toughness. One day, her ship docked at Howth Harbour and she requested to rest at Howth Castle. The lord of the castle, however, would not open his gates - so she kidnapped one of his sons. In return for his son, the lord had to promise to leave his gate open to visitors and to set an extra place for a visitor at every meal.

That tradition continues up to this very day!

Gráinne Mhaol is an icon of international feminism.

In her early sixties, she decided to confront the Queen of England. She would have been about the same age as Elizabeth 1 at the time and she probably knew that the Queen had a secret admiration for her. After all, Elizabeth's own empire was built on the success of pirates, such as the Queen's good friend, Francis Drake.

Sailing to England and up the River Thames to visit her enemy was a very daring thing to do and many people believed that she would be sent to the Tower of London and executed on the spot.

She sailed along the Thames to the Queen's Palace in Greenwich, past rebels' heads stuck on spikes and the skeletons of executed pirates hanging on chains along the walls of the banks of the river. 

When she was led into Elizabeth's court, she faced the Queen but did not bow. This would normally have been a great insult as the only people excused from bowing were other kings or queens. Gráinne, however, was the Pirate Queen and reserved her right not to bow. The people at the court took a sharp intake of breath, expecting the worst.

But the two women got on famously and sat in front of the fire chatting about their lives. Elizabeth envied Gráinne because the infamous Pirate Queen had sailed the seas and done all the daring deeds of legend that the Queen could only dream of; Elizabeth had never sailed farther than up the river Thames.

The outcome of it all was that Gráinne and her family would be left in peace and all charges against her would be dropped.

Gráinne returned home in triumph.  She is buried on Clare Island off the west coast of Ireland.