In 1593, an Irish matriarch sailed a fleet to England and negotiated face-to-face with Queen Elizabeth I, a concealed dagger found in her dress. She was Grace O'Malley, head of the O'Malley dynasty on Ireland's west coast, remembered in folklore as the pirate queen but far more remarkable as a political pragmatist.

Born around 1530 into a seafaring clan in Clew Bay, Grace bypassed Gaelic inheritance law through raw military and economic power, commanding galleys and gallowglass mercenaries. This episode follows her marriages, territorial conquests, clashes with Governor Richard Bingham, and her bold diplomatic gamble to free her imprisoned family, tracing how she adapted her strategy to survive a century of Tudor conquest.

• Levying "black rent" and enforcing a maritime tollbooth with shallow-draft galleys
• Defending Hen's C ...