Grace O'Malley- Grainne Ni Mhaille (c. 1530- c. 1603), also known as Granuaile or Grainne Mhaol, known in English as Grace O'Malley, is an important figure in Irish folklore, but was in fact a larger-than-life figure from 16th century Irish history. O'Malley is sometimes known as "The Sea Queen Of Connaught". Her name appears in contemporary documents as Grainne Ui Mhaille, Grainne Umhaill. By the time of her first husbands death in the early 1560's, she commanded the loyalty of so many O'Flaherty men that many of them left the area when she moved and followed her to Clare Island in Clew Bay. The Joyces were so impressed with her abilities in battle that they renamed a caste to Caislean an-Circa, the "Hen's Castle". Around the time of her first husband's death came complains to the English Council in Dublin that O'Flaherty and Ni Mhaille ships were behaving like pirates. Because Galway imposed taxes on the ships that traded their goods there, the O'Flahertys, led by Ni Mhaille, decided to extract a similar tax from the ships traveling in waters off their lands. Ni Mhaille's ships would stop and board the traders and demand either cash or a portion of the cargo in exchange for safe passage the rest of the way to Galway. Resistance was futile. By the early 1560's she was recruiting fighting men from both Ireland and Scotland, transporting the gallowglass mercenaries between their Scottish homes and Irish employers and plundering Scotland's outlying islands on her return trips. In 1593 Ni Mhaille engaged in revolutionary activity against the English crown. Her castle at Clare Island was attacked by an expedition from Galway trying to get rid of her. In 1593 when the English governor took her sons captive Ni Mhaille sailed to England to petition Elizabeth I for their release. Ni Mhaille refused to bow to Elizabeth showing her that she wasnt Queen of Ireland. The two women reached an agreement for Elizabeth to grant Ni Mhaille's requests provided that her support of many Irish rebellions and piracy against England ended. Their discussion was carried out in Latin, as Ni Mhaille spoke no English and Elizabeth no Gaeilge. In the end Ni Mhaille realized that the meeting with Elizabeth had been useless, and went back to supporting the Irish rebellions. Afterwards she directed her raids against the "enemies of England" during the Nine Years War. The year and location of her death are still disputed.
