• The Irish “Pirate Queen” Grace O’Malley is one of the most infamous buccaneers of any gender. Born in 1530, Grace was raised in a seafaring clan, which her father was the leader of. She married well (twice) and basically spent her time defending her property by any means necessary…and taking some other people’s property for good measure. Ruthless and fearless, legend has it that Grace gave birth to one of her sons aboard a ship, then engaged in combat a day later to defend the vessel. As if that weren’t enough, Grace proved spirited enough to request an audience with none other than Queen Elizabeth. She demanded that her brother and sons, who had been captured, be released. And the queen obliged.