Ireland's Pirate Queen: The True Story of Grace O'Malley

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1799690.html

A fascinating account of a shadowy historical figure of varying spellings, an exact contemporary of Elizabeth I, who appears to have used her own resources to prey on shipping along the Atlantic seaboard of Ireland; it's difficult to be sure what is fact and what is fiction - did she really give birth on board one of her own ships, and then a few hours later struggle to the deck to take pot-shots at Algerian raiders? did she really kidnap the son of the Earl of Howth in retribution for a failure of hospitality? - but it adds up to some interesting material, and Chambers is frank about the gaps in her knowledge, as well as giving us some of the primary documents in an appendix.

The first edition show more of the book was published in 1979, a very different time for stories of Irish feminist heroes who threaten to divorce their husbands and then take handsome young lovers. For me, though, the most interesting point was the ability of Granuaile to appeal over the head of the local English administrators to the royal court, and her straight-faced ability to portray herself as a loyal subject beset by venal officials (and the paranoid and counterproductive reaction of those officials to her approaches). Chambers writes Granuaile into a traditional English v Irish political paradigm, but there is more going on here. I wish I knew more about the access of male Irish chieftains to the court; I feel I don't have enough information to know how unusual Granuaile's treatment was.

Anyway, an interesting read. show less

Excellent little history of the great pirate queen of Irish myth and legend. Even in grubby old reality she is a formidable and exciting figure, cutting an impressive swathe through the turmoil of the decline of the old Irish and the rise of the new order, fighting and scheming and maneuvering to protect her rights and her family while carrying on a bit of plundering and piracy up and down the coasts.

Review: Ireland’s Pirate Queen by Anne Chambers. 11/22/2017

This was a non-fiction book written about Ireland’s history that wasn’t mentioned much because it was about the first woman pirate, Grace O’Malley back in the era when women were put on the back burner. There is not much information on Grace O’Malley and she was not respected even among Irish historians. It was interesting to read a subject of a strong female leader in a time when men were unwilling to admit women could lead. I enjoyed reading about the battle of the sexes with men and even some other women became jealous of the Queen pirate’s adventures and conquests.

I give Anne Chambers credit for having the courage to tell a story that many historians would not show more touch. I found out things I never knew about the Irish that captured my interest and was thought provoking. This book concentrates on the time span when Grace was alive in the late1500’s and very early 1600’s. Anne Chambers writes that for centuries the Island was governed by a primitive system of lords who apparently did a lot of battling amongst themselves. I was inspired by the author’s descriptions of the feuding contention and found it really fascinating.

Anne Chambers did a great job of using what real documentation exists and combining what is known about the lives of women in that era. Chambers definitely did her research finding reference to Grace O’Malley that still exists today. There are translations at the end of the book of epic poems and songs written about Grace O’Malley as well as documents she actually wrote Queen Elizabeth and which are kept in the royal archives. show less

Grace O'Malley, AKA Granuaile, is one of those truly amazing historical figures who is both a product of her time and yet so impossibly modern in other ways. In a time when women didn't inherit and widows were lucky if they retained a home and a livelihood, Granuaile led her own army and her own fleet of ships. Reading this history can be frustrating, though, because so little is known about her, and Chambers is (understandably) reluctant to speculate. The sense of Granuaile's personality that come through the few primary sources is so tantalizing.

A well compiled, (roughly) chronological telling of the life of the Irish 'queen of the pirates' Gráinne Mhaol. Expertly researched and drawing from a library of reference material, the book is encyclopaedic and historical, and rarely encounters Chambers' personality. One interesting aspect where it does is in Chambers' statements on the role of women in leadership historically, which ties in well with the historical narrative of Mhaol's life. Good reference material.

Sometimes meandering but always fascinating tale of the historical Irish pirate Grace O'Malley. Largely written out of history by the Irish historians of her time for being a woman in a man's job, Chambers here goes a long way toward redeeming O'Malley's place in history.

The book was a bit disorganized. Reflects different grammar rules than what I usually see, not sure if that reflects mistakes or that Ireland uses different rules....

While this was about a pirate queen I have no idea if her galleys had cannon. How much if at all they used muskets and several other thing that could easily been included.

Overall this book felt more like a recitation of facts than relating the life story of an exciting individual.