Grace O'Malley, Ireland's Pirate Queen

She cut off her hair to sail the seas. She divorced her husband by locking him out of his own castle. And when her son was killed by the occupying English, she sailed straight up the Thames to plead for help from Elizabeth I. Or did she? Gráinne Ní Mháille, or Grace O'Malley, the legendary "Pirate Queen" of Ireland, was the head of a seafaring dynasty, while the Tudors tightened their grip, she commanded fleets, forged alliances, waged war, survived imprisonment, and outwitted some of the most ruthless men of her age. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr Gillian Kenny to debunk some of the myths about one of the most remarkable women of the Elizabethan age. MORE Women Pirates of the Caribbean Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Ireland's Witchcraft Trials Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Grace O'Malley, Ireland's Pirate Queen is an episode from Not Just the Tudors by History Hit.

This episode is 46:30 long.

This episode was published on Apr 9, 2026.

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