An Achill tower - once the property of the pirate queen of Ireland

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In the photo is one of five towers built by the O’Malley clan on the waterways around Achill Island. The head of the clan was a sea-faring Irish chieftain who ruled over much of what is now Co. Mayo in western Ireland. The towers allowed the clan to control the waterways leading to Achill. On the chieftain's death, his daughter, Grainne/Grace O’Malley (c.?1530 – c. 1603), took his place, despite having a brother. She was known as the ‘pirate queen’. In 1593, her two sons and half-brother were captured by the English governor of Connacht. Grace sailed up the Thames River and demanded an audience with Queen Elizabeth 1. As Grace had had a formal education, they conversed in Latin, although this is disputed by some. She also refused to bow to the queen on the excuse that she was a queen herself. An agreement was reached and the men were released. Grace pledged to stop plundering English ships and to fight on the side of the English again all comers. Grace has been the inspiration for many creative artists and her name lives on today in sculptures, books, plays, verse and song.