Grace O'Malley (c. 1530 – c. 1603; Irish: Gráinne Ní Mháille) was chieftain of the Ó Máille clan in the west of Ireland. The only child of Owen Dubhdara Uí Máille, the O’Malley of Umhall Uachtarach, and Margaret Ní Máille. She was commonly known as Gráinne Mhaol (anglicised as Granuaile). A proud and courageous woman, she is a well-known historical figure in 16th-century Irish history. Sometimes known as "The Sea Queen of Connacht" or even “The Pirate Queen” after she inherited her father’s significant shipping and trading business, which was sometimes described as a form of piracy.
Gráinne saw her wealth grow from this business. She also had land inherited from her mother, and property and holdings from her first husband, Dónal an Chogaidh Ó Flaithbheartaigh. However, she lived in very turbulent times and witnessed the collapse of the Gaelic order and the crushing of Ireland’s ruling élite. It brought her face to face with Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1593, a meeting at which Gráinne refused to bow, stating that she herself was a Queen of her land and not a subject of the Queen of England.
