Grace O'Malley - Cultural Impact

Cultural Impact

Gráinne's life has inspired musicians, novelists and playwrights to create works based on her adventures. Perhaps the best known is the concert piece "Granuaile" (1985) by Irish composer Shaun Davey.

American actress Molly Lyons wrote and starred in a one-woman show titled "A Most Notorious Woman", detailing the life of Granuaile. It has been produced internationally at theaters and festivals.

Grace O'Malley, Princess and Pirate was a novel written in 1898 by Robert Machray.

James Joyce used the legend of Gráinne Ní Mháille ("her grace o'malice") and the Earl of Howth in chapter 1 of Finnegans Wake, but added the kidnapping of another fictional son, Hilary, to match his Shem and Shaun theme. Christopher/Tristopher is turned into a Luderman (happy Lutheran) and Hilary into a Tristian (sad Christian).

The escaped prisoner in Lady Gregory's play, "The Rising of the Moon", sings folk ballads about Gráinne and styles himself as a "friend of Granuaile".

The play Bald Grace by Marki Shalloe debuted at Chicago's Stockyards Theatre in 2005 and was featured at Atlanta's Theatre Gael (America's oldest Irish-American theatre) in 2006. A musical drama written in 1989, Grannia, story and lyrics by Thomas A. Power and music by Larry Allen, also tells the story of Ní Mháille from childhood to her meeting with Elizabeth I. It won the 1990 Moss Hart Award.

Romance author Bertrice Small portrays Ní Mháille in several of her books, particularly in Skye O'Malley, where she is a kinswoman to the main character, who is based largely on her. There is also a more recent book (2004) by Alan Gold titled The Pirate Queen: The Story of Grace O'Malley, an Irish Pirate that tells of her life from 14 till her meeting with Elizabeth I. The Wild Irish: A Novel of Elizabeth I & the Pirate O'Malley, by Robin Maxwell, tells Ní Mháille's story from birth up until a few years before her death. The Wild Irish focuses mainly on Ní Mháille's life, but is highly fictional — the main part of the story is Ní Mháille telling her life story to Elizabeth I on the night of their meeting. A children's book titled The Pirate Queen was also written about Ní Mháille.

Irish author O.R. Melling portrays Ní Mháille in her novel The Summer King (part two of the Chronicles of Faerie) as a ghost who haunts Achill Island, and later as her live self when heroes Laurel and Ian go back in time to win her as an ally.

In 2005, theater camp Stagedoor Manor premiered a play, The Heart Rising, focusing around a family of Irish immigrants to America. The show included Gráinne as a common thread throughout the many generations of the family.

The latest artistic project is the musical play The Pirate Queen by Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Richard Maltby, Jr. and John Dempsey, which originally debuted at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre in October 2006, with American stage actor Stephanie J. Block as Grania (Gráinne). The Pirate Queen is based on Morgan Llywelyn's 1986 novel about O'Malley's life, Grania: She-King of the Irish Seas. Morgan Llewellyn's book, in turn, takes from Anne Chambers' biography, who was credited as consultant. The musical moved to Broadway in March 2007, but closed in June due to lack of interest on the part of theatre-goers and less-than-stellar reviews.

In June 2007 the Knock School of Irish Dancing did a dance drama based on Ní Mháille's story. The production was called Grainne O'Malley, The Pirate Queen and was performed by the entire Knock School at the Winspear Center in downtown Edmonton, Alberta (Canada).

In 2005 the Commissioners for Irish Lights named their new vessel Graunaile.

The Irish sail training vessel Asgard II had a figurehead of Granuaile; it sank in 2008.

Since 1948, the Commissioners of Irish Lights have sailed three vessels named Granuaile. Their current sole light tender is the most modern serving the coasts of Britain and Ireland.

In 1986, famed Irish composer and music producer Shaun Davey released a concept album entitled Granuaile that was thematically based on Ní Mháille's life. The album featured a 22-piece chamber orchestra and his wife, Rita Connolly, on all lead vocals. The duo have performed the work live periodically over the years.

In Tampa, FL, Grace O'Malley is the inspiration for Ye Loyal Krewe of Grace O'Malley, one of many krewes that participate in the legendary Gasparilla Pirate Festival. Founded in 1992, the women of Ye Loyal Krewe of Grace O'Malley participate in the parades as well many philanthropic activities in the community and throughout the state of Florida. At over 250 members, YLKGOM is noted for being the first all female krewe and members are only accepted through a selective lottery and through legacy from mother to daughter. For the parades as well as their charitable activities, the woman wear Elizabethan dress with strict rules to maintain authenticity of the costumes.

The Indulgers' 2000 album "In Like Flynn" includes a song entitled Granuaile centered on the legend of Ní Mháille.

In the NCIS episode 'Blowback', one of the arms dealers the NCIS field agents had attempted to track down used the name Grace O'Malley as an alias.

As of 2008, a feature film based on Gráinne Ní Mháille's story is in development. It will be penned by Anne Chambers, author of the biography Granuaile: Ireland’s Pirate Queen, and Sarah Lawson, who will also produce the film under her company, Lawson Productions. Its predicted release is 2012, and is backed by the Irish Film Board.
In 1985 Irish composer Shaun Davey composed a suite of music which is a blend of Classical and Irish Folk Music for singer Rita Connolly, based on the life and times of Grace O'Mally, The album was recorded using a 35 piece chamber orchestra joined by uilleann pipe soloist Liam O'Flynn, acoustic guitar, Irish harp and percussion, and special guest Donal Lunny on bouzouki.

In 1997 the Saw Doctors mention Granuaile in their song "The Green and Red of Mayo".

Morgan Llywelyn's novel "Grania: She-King of the Irish Seas" tells the story of Grace O'Malley.

Her story is currently being made into a feature film.

Granuaile has been used as a personification of Ireland.

Patrick Pearse rewrote the Jacobite song Óró Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile to figure her as the metaphorical saviour of Ireland, rather than Charles Edward Stuart, as per the original song.

In August 2012 writer Tony Lee announced that the fourth book in his 'Heroes & Heroines' series of graphic novels (with Sam Hart) would be called Pirate Queen: The Legend of Grace O'Malley.