Pirate Queen of Ireland by Anne Chambers Page B

the Queen she had no option but had been forced to take action to protect herself, her family and her followers because of the disturbed state of her country.
    She explained Connaught was in such a state, where the people were terrified, the countryside devastated, due to the actions of the queen’s own servants there, especially Bingham. Instead of justice, Bingham had brought only grief to her and her people.
    The queen listened with growing admiration and pity as Granuaile told her how she and her family had suffered at Bingham’s hands and of his ‘hard dealing’ of herself, in particular.
    She asked that her son be released from prison. The queen said she would consider it and promised Granuaile that in the meantime her son should come to no harm while in Bingham’s custody.
    Then Granuaile played her trump card.
    She needed desperately to return to the sea in order to recoup her losses on land. But to do this she had to get Bingham off her back. The only way around him was if she could get the queen’s specific permission.
    Referring to her seafaring activities as ‘maintenance by land and sea’ – which sounded more law-abiding than piracy and plunder – she asked Elizabeth to allow her to return to her seafaring ways. Elizabeth agreed. Granuaile led her to believe that, as the queen wrote, by doing so she would be ‘fighting Our quarrel with all the world’.
    Granuaile had pulled a fast one. She could return to her former trade by sea, this time with the queen’s permission, and there was nothing Bingham could do to stop her.
    The queen wrote her orders in a letter to Bingham. Ignoring the accusations he had made against Granuaile, she ordered him to release Tibóid and, in future, to allow him and his half-brother, Murrough O’Flaherty, to ‘live in peace and enjoy their livelihoods’.
    She urged him to ‘have pity on this aged woman’ and to ensure that she be allowed ‘maintenance’ for the ‘rest of her old years’.
    With much thanks and vague promises of loyalty, Granuaile took her leave of the queen, her mission a success.
    Such was the impact Granuaile made on the queen and her court that when Elizabeth I was having a new map of Ireland drawn by her mapmaker, Baptista Boazio, later that year, Granuaile’s name was included as chieftain of Mayo. She was the only woman whose name had ever appeared on a map of a country.
    It was proof that regardless of law and custom, Granuaile had, by her sheer ability and courage, become accepted as a chieftain in her own right, both in Ireland and England.
    Armed with the queen’s letter, Granuaile set sail for Ireland and was home in Clew Bay in September.

Chapter 24
    BINGHAM’S REVENGE
    On her return, Granuaile confronted Bingham with the queen’s letter. She demanded that he release Tibóid immediately and give her back her ships.
    Bingham was furious. He realised that Granuaile had pulled the wool over the queen’s eyes. She had played the part of the much-wronged, old woman well at court.
    Despite everything he had done to defeat this terrible woman, here was his own queen undoing all his hard work and allowing Granuaile to return to her plundering ways while pretending to be loyal to the queen.
    He well knew the trouble Granuaile was still capable of causing. He ignored the queen’s orders as long as he dared.
    Granuaile threatened that she would return to court and report his insubordination.
    Eventually Bingham knew he had no alternative but to agree to her demands. He released Tibóid in November.
    Tibóid had suffered greatly while in prison. He had been tortured so badly, he could barely stand.
    Once Tibóid was safely out of Bingham’s clutches, Granuaile prepared to return to sea. She started to build new galleys.
    But Bingham vowed to stop her. Just as her galleys were ready to sail in the spring of 1594, he pounced.
    He stationed a troop