THE PIRATE QUEEN OF CONNACHT Grace O'Malley

Her story was long consigned to legend and fantasy. An Irish pirate queen who commanded a fleet of ships from Spain to Scotland… in the 1500s?! Not likely. But in the 1990s, historian Anne Chambers found a trove of documents in a dusty old chest at Westport House, and the tales of Grace O’Malley were proven to be marvelously, fantastically, true.

Join Katie on location at Westport House in Ireland for a swashbuckling tale like no other! Our guest is historian Kathryn Connolly.

Statue of Grace O’Malley at Westport House

Clare Island Castle (with some of Katie’s students)

Westport House, where the evidence of Grace O’Malley’s real existence was found

Katie and Grace inside Westport House, 2022

Katie and Kathryn Connolly at Westport House

Illustration of “The Meeting of two Queens”

Grace’s arch-nemesis Sir Richard Bingham

Kathryn Connolly is Supervisor and Lead Tour Guide at Westport House. Kathryn has an honours degree in History and Heritage, graduating from ATU Castlebar, Co. Mayo in 2015. She began working in Westport House March 2016 when the House was still owned by the Browne Family and has been part of the transition of ownership to the Hughes of Westport. She has immersed herself in the history of Westport House and is passionate about the story. Kathryn has had her own blog delving into the many stories, writing about the architecture, and restoration of the magnificent Georgian Manor.