Irish chieftain Grace O'Malley is today remembered not only as one of the most important persons during one of its most turbulent times of Irish history but also as a fierce pirate who used her large naval fleet to protect Irish to secure large wealth.

Grace O'Malley was one of the best remembered and influential chieftains of the Ó Máille clan in the west Ireland. She was born as a royalty and was a competent leader of her land, but because of her fascination with the sea and warfare, she fought with all her available means to ensure the independence of her lands against spreading the influence of England. Even though she was a woman and a royal who managed during her life to form notable political connections with neighboring nations, she became a pirate leader whose exploits at sea enabled her to gather significant wealth. Her unorthodox life and years of sailing the sea as a pirate leader have built Grace O'Malley into one of the most important figures from Irish history and also a significant character in the Irish folklore where she is sometimes called "The Sea Queen of Connacht".