SPILLED.

In this episode, we dive into the legend and legacy of Ireland’s Pirate Queen: from her wild childhood as “Grace the Bald” to the rumors she gave birth on a ship and went back to battle within the hour. We chart her rise through maritime conquests, clan warfare, and a jaw-dropping face-to-face with the English queen herself. Along the way, we unpack the geopolitical tug-of-war between England and Ireland, and how Grace used her femininity—not in spite of it—as a strategic force in a man’s world.

Sources: 

Chambers, Anne. Granuaile: The Life and Times of Grace O'Malley. Gill & Macmillan, 2003.

Knox, H. T. “Grace O’Malley.” Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society, vol. 4, no. 2, 1905, pp. 65–72. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44973429. Accessed 25 June 2025.

Maguire, Conor. “Grace O’Malley: The Queen of the West.” Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review, vol. 32, no. 126, 1943, pp. 225–30. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/30100558. Accessed 25 June 2025.

Ohlmeyer, Jane H. Making Ireland English: The Irish Aristocracy in the Seventeenth Century. Yale University Press, 2012.

Chambers, Anne. Granuaile: Ireland’s Pirate Queen. Gill Books, 2003.

Canny, Nicholas. Making Ireland British, 1580–1650. Oxford University Press, 2001.

McNeill, Mary. Grania: She-King of the Irish Seas. Irish University Press, 1972.

O’Dowd, Mary. A History of Women in Ireland, 1500–1800. Pearson Education, 2005.

Staton, Tracy. “Grace O’Malley: The Pirate Queen of Ireland.” Rebel Women, 1998.

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You know Cleopatra—the scandal, the eyeliner, the drama. But before she stepped onto the scene with Marc Antony, there was Fulvia: a Roman powerhouse, political strategist, and all-around boss. In this episode, we dig into the story of the woman who didn’t just love Antony—she leveraged him. From leading armies to stirring up civil war, Fulvia was making major moves long before Cleopatra made headlines. Let’s give credit where it's very overdue.

Episode 1 Sources: 

Appian. The Civil Wars. Translated by Horace White, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1913.

Asconius. Commentary on Cicero’s Speeches. Translated by R.G. Lewis, Clarendon Press, 1990.

Babcock, Charles L. “The Early Career of Fulvia.” The American Journal of Philology, vol. 86, no. 1, 1965, pp. 1–32. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/292619. Accessed 29 May 2025.

Cassius Dio. Roman History. Vol. 5, Book 48, translated by Earnest Cary, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1916.

Cicero, Marcus Tullius. The Philippics of Cicero. Translated by W. C. A. Ker, Harvard University Press, 1926.

Huzar, Eleanor G. “Mark Antony: Marriages vs. Careers.” The Classical Journal, vol. 81, no. 2, 1985, pp. 97–111. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/3296739. Accessed 29 May 2025.

Levick, Barbara. Women in Roman Politics. Historical Review Publications, vol. 78, 2000, pp. 35–48.

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