Welcome to the Grace O'Malley Web Site

Author ANNE CHAMBERS welcomes fans to the official website of Ireland’s Pirate Queen - Grace O’Malley.

Fearless leader by land and by sea, political pragmatist and tactician, rebel, pirate and matriarch, the ’most notorious woman in all the coasts of Ireland’ GRACE O’MALLEY challenges and manipulates the turbulent politics of the 16th century.

Breaching boundaries of gender imbalance and bias, she re-wrote the rules to become one of the world’s first documented feminist trail-blazers.

In GRANUAILE - the original best-selling biography of this historic icon, from rare and exclusive contemporary manuscript material ANNE CHAMBERS draws Ireland’s great pirate queen in from the vagueness of myth and legend and presents the historical reality of one of the world’s most extraordinary female leaders.

 

★MARCONI & IRISH PRIMA DONNA MARGARET BURKE SHERIDAN★


★Free event all welcome★ Thursday, May 29 · 6:30 - 8pm GMT+1, at the Lexicon Library, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland.

Click this link to reserve your ticket

https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/marconi-irish-prima-donna-margaret-burke-sheridan-tickets-1370950693429


Lecture-concert on the encounter and patronage by inventor Guglielmo Marconi of Irish soprano Margaret Burke Sheridan, with Puccini's arias.
Margaret Burke Sheridan (1889-1958) was an Irish opera singer considered the second Irish prima donna, after Catherine Hayes.

From 1909 to 1911 she studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she met Guglielmo Marconi, who helped her in arranging her further opera studies in Rome.
With Marconi's help, in 1916 she auditioned for Alfredo Martino, one of the leading singing teachers at the Teatro Costanzi, and made her debut there in January 1918 in Puccini's "La Bohème". In subsequent years she sang at La Scala with great success.
Together with Biographer ANNE CHAMBERS, author of 'La Sheridan: Adorable Diva 1889-1958', relates the remarkable story of this Irish Prima Donna and how, with Marconi's help, she conquered the stages of the opera world, in an evening with 3 Puccini arias performed live by Rachel Croash (soprano) and Annalisa Monticelli (piano) and with the presentation of documents and letters published between the two protagonists.

Limited places.

Free reservation on this website

An initiative by Embassy of Italy in Ireland, Istituto Italiano di Cultura Dublin and Irish National Opera, with the support of dlr LexIcon Library Dun Laoghaire.

Irish National Opera will present Puccini’s Madama Butterly in November at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre.

GRACE O'MALLEY RETURNS TO GALWAY CITY


Galway City Museum - March 22 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm UTC+0


This event is free of charge, but advance booking is essential as places are strictly limited. For further details or to make a booking, please contact the Museum on (091) 532460 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Born on the shores of Clew Bay in Co. Mayo, Grace O’Malley (Gráinne ‘Mhaol’ Uí Mháille, c. 1530–1603) was a woman before her time. One contemporary commentator noted of the strong and confident noblewoman and fearless sea captain, who controlled the seas of Connacht: ‘Grany O’Maly thinketh herself to be no small lady’.

About 1546, she married Domhnall ‘An Chogaidh’ O’Flaherty of Bunowen Castle, Ballynahinch in Connemara, thus uniting two prominent Gaelic families of the West, and one of her sons from this marriage (Murrough-ne-Maor O’Flaherty) was buried in the Franciscan Abbey in Galway in 1626. Join Anne Chambers as she discusses the life and times of Grace O’Malley with special reference to her many connections with Galway.


Chambers is the author of the definitive, international bestselling book, Grace O’Malley: The Biography of Ireland’s Pirate Queen 1530-1603, which the Sunday Tribune hailed as ‘a historical reality which is equally if not more compelling than the legend.’

 

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GRACE O’MALLEY

Fearless leader by land and by sea, political pragmatist and tactician, rebel, pirate and matriarch, the ’most notorious woman in all the coasts of Ireland’ GRACE O’MALLEY challenges and manipulates the turbulent politics of the 16th century

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Copyright © 2025 Grace O'Malley.com - Anne Chambers

Grace O'Malley: The Biography of Ireland's Pirate Queen, 1530-1603 is the sole published biographical account of Grace O’Malley, sourced from original manuscript material, both in public and in private domain. For the latter, the author, Anne Chambers, had sole and exclusive access. Much of this material was located and decyphered in its original form (i.e.16th century manuscripts) by the author and is exclusive to her book. Furthermore, the presentation, opinions and analyses in the book are exclusive to the author. The author reserves all her rights in this book. No part of her book may be reproduced or utilised in any form or media, written or oral, or by means digital, electronic or mechanical, including photographic, film, video recording, photocopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system. Permission from the author and publisher must first be obtained to reproduce any part of or quotations from the book. Any transgression in this regard will be addressed. For more information, comments or enquiries please contact: Info: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Copyright © 2025.

 

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