The Pirate Queen : In Search of Grace O'Malley and Other Legendary Women of the Sea

The Pirate Queen begins in Ireland with the notorious Grace O’Malley, a scourge to the most powerful fleets of sixteenth-century Europe. This Irish clan chieftain and pirate queen was a contemporary of Elizabeth I, and a figure whose life is the stuff of myth. Regularly raiding English ships caught off Ireland’s west coast, O’Malley purportedly fought off fierce Algerian pirates just hours after giving birth to her son. She commanded two hundred men (and a couple of husbands), and acquired lands and castles that still dot the Irish coastline today.But O’Malley was not alone, especially in the waters of the North Atlantic where author Barbara Sjoholm traveled through coastal communities and seafaring ports to collect these little-known stories. Since ancient times, women have rowed and sailed, commanded and fished, built boats and owned fleets. Yet their incredible contributions have been nearly erased from the history books, as have the myths of seal women, Finn wives, and storm witches.In The Pirate Queen, Sjoholm brings some of these extraordinary stories back to life, taking the reader on an unforgettable journey from the wild Irish coast to the haunting Scandinavian fjords in this meticulously researched, colorfully written, and truly original work. Illustrations and maps add to these intriguing swashbuckling tales. ""Table of Contents"" ""List of Illustrations "" ""Introduction: Crossing Clew Bay "" ""I. Grace O'Malley's Castle: Clare Island, Ireland "" ""II. The Pirate Queen: Clew Bay, Ireland "" ""III. At the Edge of the Sea Cauldron: From Oban to the Pentland Firth"" ""IV. Raising the Wind: Kirkwall, the Orkney Islands"" ""V. Herring Lassies: Stronsay, the Orkney Islands"" ""VI. A Man's World: Stromness, the Orkney Islands"" ""VII. Enchantment: From the Orkney Islands to the Shetland Islands"" ""VIII. The Lonely Voyage of Betty Mouat: Sumburgh Head, the Shetland Islands"" ""IX. Seagoing Charm School: Unst and Yell, the Shetland Islands""""X. Halibut Woman: The Faroe Islands"" ""XI. Aud the Deep-Minded: From the Faroe Islands to Iceland"" ""XII. Caught in the Net: ReykjavÃk and the Westmann Islands, Iceland"" ""XIII. Iceberg Travel: SnÃ?fellsnes Peninsula, Iceland"" ""XIV. Leif's Unlucky Sister: ReykjavÃk and GlaumbÃ?r, Iceland"" ""XV. A Woman Without a Boat Is a Prisoner: Tálknafjördur, Iceland"" ""XVI. Seawim: TjÃ?me, Norway"" ""XVII. Trouser-Beret: Drag, Norway"" ""XVIII. Statue of a Woman Staring Out to Sea: Norwegian Coastal Voyage"" ""Epilogue: Return to Clew Bay """"Sources and Notes "" ""Illustrations Credits "" ""Acknowledgments "" ""About the Author "" ""Selected Titles from Seal Press "" The Pirate Queen begins in Ireland with the infamous Grace O'Malley, a ruthless pirate and scourge to the most powerful fleets of sixteenth-century Europe. This Irish clan chieftain, sea captain, and pirate queen was a contemporary of Elizabeth I, a figure whose life is the stuff of myth. Regularly raiding English ships caught off Ireland's west coast, O'Malley was purported to have fought the Spanish armada just hours after giving birth to her son. She had several husbands in her lifetime, and acquired lands and castles that still dot the Irish coastline today. But Grace O'Malley was not alone. Since ancient times, women have rowed and sailed, commanded and fished, built boats and owned fleets. As pirate, captain's wives, lighthouse keepers and sailors in disguise they've explored coastlines and set off alone across unknown seas. Yet their incredible contributions have been nearly erased from the history books. In The Pirate Queen, Barbara Sjoholm brings some of these extraordinary women back to life, taking the reader on an unforgettable journey from the wild Irish coast to the haunting Scandinavian fjords in this meticulously researched, colorfully written, and truly original work ""Table of Contents""; ""List of Illustrations ""; ""Introduction: Crossing Clew Bay ""; ""I. Grace O'Malley's Castle: Clare Island, Ireland ""; ""II. The Pirate Queen: Clew Bay, Ireland ""; ""III. At the Edge of the Sea Cauldron: From Oban to the Pentland Firth""; ""IV. Raising the Wind: Kirkwall, the Orkney Islands""; ""V. Herring Lassies: Stronsay, the Orkney Islands""; ""VI. A Man's World: Stromness, the Orkney Islands""; ""VII. Enchantment: From the Orkney Islands to the Shetland Islands""; ""VIII. The Lonely Voyage of Betty Mouat: Sumburgh Head, the Shetland Islands"";Co-founder of Seal Press, Barbara Sjoholm has spent most of her life in the literary arts, as a writer, editor, translator, teacher, and publisher. She is the author of Blue Windows: A Christian Science Childhood, , Incognito Street, , and The Pirate Queen , and editor of the anthology Steady as She Goes: Women's Adventures at Sea. Barbara's personal and travel essays have appeared in the Harvard Review, the American Scholar, and the Antioch Review, as well as the New York Times, Slate, and Smithsonian. A fascinating account of one of history's most notorious women and the many others who played an integral part in creating the myth and history surrounding the sea.