Radio doc on Mayo's legendary 'Pirate Queen'

A brand new 46-minute radio documentary entitled 'Pirate Queen – Investigating the Life of Grace O’Malley 1530-1603', will be broadcast at 9 a.m. on Sunday, July 6, on Midwest Radio.

This gripping documentary investigates the records of plunder, piracy and general mayhem that made up the 'Pirate Queen' Grace O’Malley’s life, with a special focus on the historical research unearthed on her in the last half-century (in particular that contained within the official Elizabethan State archives).

In doing so, this documentary gets behind the many myths and legends surrounding Grace O’Malley to reveal the 'real' person – a formidable woman who was as tough and cunning as any leader of her age, and who successfully overcame phenomenal challenges, from the patriarchal social norms of her time to the depredations of her arch-enemy Sir Richard Bingham, and much more, to ultimately forge her own unique path in life.

Key contributors to the documentary include Emeritus Professor Mary O’Dowd of Queens University Belfast as well as Castlebar native Anne Chambers, author of the bestselling book Grace O’Malley – The Biography of Ireland’s Pirate Queen 1530-1603.