S2E3: A Most Famous Feminine Sea Captain - Gráinne O’Malley, Irish Pirate, Rebel, Chieftain

Women of War

NOTE: This episode suffers from bad audio quality due to COVID lockdown and technical issues. It has been re-recorded and released as a bonus episode.

What do you do with a female sailor, what do you do with a female sailor, what do you do with a female sailor, in the sixteenth century? Give her some castles, a fleet of ships, the blessing of the Queen and let her take to the seas as a fearless pirate. Join Hannah and Nicola this week as we fall in love with Gráinne O’Malley, the Irish Pirate Queen who spent decades pissing off the British in the Elizabethan Wars. There’s piracy, murder, treason, sex, court politics, English colonial wankers, and an Irish chieftain who did whatever it took to get what she wanted.

This episode was recorded over Zoom during Melbourne’s 4th lockdown, thanks Scott Morrison. We thank you for your patience with any audio issues.

This episode contains references to vomiting, murder, piracy and religious persecution. It also contains some rude language. It may not be suitable for all listeners.

Women of War is written and recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nations. We pay our respect to Elders past and present, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners. Sovereignty was never ceded.

All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information presented in this podcast however with the nature of historical research, there may be mistakes or inconsistencies.

For more information on Gráinne (yes, there’s more, we were shocked too), read Anne Chambers’ biography, Granuaile: Grace O’Malley--Ireland’s Pirate Queen, C. 1530-1603.

For more information on the podcast, go to womenofwarpod.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @womenofwarpod for updates, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes shenanigans. Sign up to our newsletter at womenofwarpod.com/subscribe to get notified of the newest episodes plus all the cool things we couldn’t fit into the episode.

Intro and Outro Music: Frosty Forest by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com