Pirate queen to Grace pages of British school history
Sunday January 2nd 2005
LARA BRADLEY
THE Irish education system should take its lead from Britain and include the legend of Grace O'Malley on the school curriculum, according to Granuaile's biographer.
Anne Chambers, author of Granuaile: Ireland's Pirate Queen, has welcomed moves by Britain's Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to introduce more stories from Ireland, including the life of O'Malley.
British schools were advised last week to ditch Florence Nightingale from history classes for five to seven-year-olds and replace her with lessons on the fiery Irish pirate.
But some historians reacted with fury to the newsof O'Malley's inclusion with one, Dr David Starkey, loftily declaring he "had never heard of her".
The Daily Mail, which owns the tabloid Ireland on Sunday, also declared O'Malley an "obscure figure" who was "lionised by feminists" and those in favour of currently fashionable left-wing political correctness.
The paper, which has long been the scourge of single mothers, also noted that O'Malley was married twice and had four children, unlike the saintly Nightingale who never married.
Chambers said: "I am going to make Professor Starkey's New Year by giving him a copy of my book. He is quite a fan of Elizabeth I and wrote a remarkably entertaining and intelligent account of that Queen.
"The fact that Grace O'Malley met Queen Elizabeth I will fill in a few voids in the story for him."
Grace O'Malley, or Granuaile, was a famous pirate and female chieftain in Co Mayo in the 1500s. Married twice, she was widowed by her first husband and divorced her second taking his property as shedismissed him.
O'Malley was ruthless in demanding her rights and protecting her people during turbulent times. She was a leader of hundreds of sea-faring men and when condemned to death by Elizabeth I she met the English queen and persuaded her, in Latin, to set her free.
After her release O'Malley continued her plunders and battles, under the guise of fighting enemies of Britain.
Now the British Qualifications and Curriculum Authority believe children bored by the good deeds of Florence Nightingale may be turnedon to history by lessons on O'Malley.
They asked teachers: "Are you in danger of becoming jaded with teaching about Florence Nightingale? Are you looking for an alternative female to illuminate the lives of significant men, women and children drawn fromhistory?"
The QCA website cites the experience of one English teacher who found educating youngsters about Grace O'Malley gave her "a new lease of life" and "aroused the curiosity" of her pupils.
The QCA guide says: "The excitement became almost irrepressible when it gradually dawned on the children that the pirate was a woman, the fearless Grace O'Malley."
The British government's curriculum watchdog described Grace O'Malley as a "courageous woman who stood up for her rights" during the Tudor invasion of Ireland and says she "showed she was the equal if not the better of any man".
The report adds: "The story of Grace O'Malley, Granuaile, is just one of Ireland's rich store of stories . . . teachers and their pupils can only benefit by taking more account of Ireland and its stories."
Britain's Campaign for Real Education said: "This is just another example of political correctness at the QCA".
But Ms Chambers hopes Education Minister Mary Hanafin will take her lead from Britain and include studies of Grace O'Malley on the Irish curriculum.
She said: "Isn't it ironic that I've approached three successive education ministers and asked them to put Grace O'Malley on the curriculum and it ends up being the British who do it first? The Irish education system just pays lip serviceto her.
"It was also the British who enshrined her memory in state papers when the Irish didn't do it. I couldn't have written her biography without those Elizabethan state papers."
Head of History at the National University of Ireland in Galway, Professor Steven Ellis said the recommendation to teach British school children about Grace O'Malley was"extraordinary".
He said: "There has to be a gender balance, but a pirate queen is hardly typical of women of the period. Grace O'Malley has an interesting reputation, but there isn't any strong evidence to back it up.
"She definitely existed, but her reputation depends on legends and the material backing it up is thin."
Ms Chambers hit back, saying the attitude of Irish historians makes her "blood boil".
She said: "I wrote my book because Grace O'Malley was written out of history. The facts about her life far outshine the fiction.
"She was a terrific woman, but she stepped out of line and paid the penalty by beingignored. History tells 'his-story' and it is time 'her-story' was told."
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