This is the birth place/castle of Granuaille O'Malley's-Ireland's Pirate Queen, Clare Island, Clew Bay, Co. Mayo. On the day I tried to get onto a tour boat out to Clare Island to photograph and sketch the castle, the tail end of a north Atlantic gale was raging about Clew Bay. No tour boats would make the 10 mile trip out to the island. I waited around a bit, reluctant to miss the one opportunity to get out to the island and, lo and behold, a telephone company boat was heading out to the island. I gave the captain some cash and we road up and down the massive swells. Took us quite a while to make it out to the island. They left me near the castle and told me they'd be back soon. It was dark and I was beginning to look for places to camp out for the night when I saw the boat bobbing up and down towards me. We made it back to port, a little damp and stressed. Got back to the hotel, finished this drawing in the pub with a lovely Guinness by my side (and soon inside me along with a few others). I began doing visual research for the book "The Pirate Meets the Queen" which I wrote and illustrated for Phylomel-Penguin/Putnam, editor Patricia Lee Gauch in March, 2000, gouache of 300 lb. cold press water color paper
I have always admired Grace O'Malley, and her strength of character in a time where women weren't allowed to be anything but a mantelpiece.
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