Pirate Queen castle to become cultural centre

By Tom Gillespie

THE 16th century Grace O’Malley castle on Clare Island is to be transformed into a visitor/island cultural centre.

And a senior US Democrat and incoming Taoiseach of the O'Malley Clan has pledged to raise funds for the project.

Martin Joseph O’Malley, an American lawyer and former politician who served as the 61st Governor of Maryland, will be installed as chief of the O’Malley Clan next year and the ceremony will take place on Clare Island.

Clare Island community coordinator Brendan Tobin explained: "We have a project ongoing at the moment which is a feasibility study being carried out by Arthur Gibney and Partners Architects, Dublin, and Oranmore Architectural Services on the Clare Island Grainne Uaile Castle and on the development of what will be a visitor/island cultural centre - not an interpretative centre, they are just dead buildings - this will be a live building, 24/7, all year round.

"There is an interesting thing happening here. Martin O’Malley, two-time governor of Maryland and a senior Democrat, is the incoming Taoiseach of the O’Malley Clan.

"He wants to be inaugurated as the Taoiseach of the O’Malley Clan on Clare Island in 2023.

"He has undertaken to make as the focus of his period in raising funding for the castle and the promotion of the Grainne Uaile story. He has undertaken to help us raise the funding for the project."

Clare Island was the stronghold of pirate queen Grace O’Malley. Her castle was built in the 16th century and is considered to be a fine example of a tower house.

Inside the castle, to the left of the main entrance, is a passage in the wall with stone stairs beginning on the first floor. Access to these was most likely enabled by a wooden staircase from the ground floor. The main living area would have been on the first floor.

In the mid 1820s the castle was converted into a police barracks.