The Alliance of Pirates: Ireland and Atlantic piracy in the early seventeenth century

by Connie Kelleher

In the early part of the seventeenth-century, along the southwest coast of Ireland, piracy was a way of life. Following the outlawing of privately-commissioned ships in 1603 by the new king of England, disenfranchised like-minded men of the sea, many who had been former ‘privateers’, merchant sailors and seamen and who had no recourse but to turn to plunder, joined forces with traditional pirates. With the closing of the ports, they transferred their base of operations from England to Ireland and formed an alliance. Within the context of the Munster Plantation, many of the pirates came to settle, some bringing families. These men and their activities not alone influenced the socio-economic and geo-political landscape of Ireland at that time but challenged European maritime power centres, while also forging links across the North Atlantic that touched the Mediterranean, Northwest Africa and the New World. Tracing the cultural origins of this particular period in maritime plunder from the late-1500s and throughout its heyday in the opening decades of the 1600s, The Alliance of Pirates analyses the nature and extent of this predation and looks at its impact and influence in Ireland and across the Atlantic. Operating during a period of emerging global maritime empires, when nations across Europe were vying for supremacy of the seas, the pirates built their own highly lucrative and highly potent piratical power base. Drawing on extensive primary and secondary historical sources Connie Kelleher explores who these pirates were, their main theatre of operations and the characters that aided and abetted them. Archaeological evidence uniquely supports the investigation and provides a tangible cultural link through time to the pirates, their cohorts and their bases.

Genres: Ireland, History

534 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 7, 2020

Reviews

[Cindy Vallar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A “Nursery and Storehouse of Pirates.” Sir Henry Mainwaring described Ireland as such in 1618. He certainly knew whereof he wrote, for having once been a pirate, he was intimately acquainted with the illicit goings-on there, especially in southwest Munster. Differentiating between privateering and piracy was difficult during this time, and the latter was intricately woven into the fabric of daily living in the region. What gave rise to Mainwaring’s comparison of Ireland to a breeding ground came about when King James I of England revoked all letters of marque and delved into government corruption within the admiralty. This drove many Englishmen to seek safer ports of call and where better than Munster and its remote coastline?

Using a chronological format and a multi-pronged approach, Kelleher shines a light on an oft-ignored period in piratical history and the overlooked aspect of a key component, the symbiotic relationship between land and sea. What differentiates piracy here is that rather than individuals preying on vulnerable ships, these pirates banded together to create an alliance that benefited all. Kelleher begins her examination looking at what came before and how this alliance formed. From there, she explores the alliance itself, government corruption, places the pirates frequented and what traces of their presence have been found, piracy as a business, the social world in which pirates lived (particularly on land), and the suppression of this marauding. The last chapter looks at not only the decline of piracy in Ireland, but also how it changed. That transformation includes both locally and globally, for the knowledge of English pirates, shared with the marauders of North Africa, allowed Barbary corsairs to expand their prowling field to include Iceland and Ireland. The most notable in the latter was the sacking of Baltimore in 1631.

The alliance formed into a cohesive unit by 1608, although many members had been marauding prior to that year. They chose Munster as their headquarters because they knew the region and people willing to help them or at least turn a blind eye to their activities. Among the clans that played significant roles were O’Sullivan Beara, O’Driscoll, and O’Mahoney. Most names mentioned aren’t familiar to readers, but key individuals discussed include Admiral Richard Bishop, Peter Easton, John Ward, Grace O’Malley, Henry Mainwaring, William Hull of Leamcon, and Thomas Crooke. Equally noteworthy are the bases that are discussed, for although the alliance was based in Munster, it also had ties to Newfoundland (Canada) and Mamora (Barbary Coast).

The result is a well-rounded and deftly presented look at a successful pirate alliance. Kelleher presents her research in a logical and easily understood fashion for lay readers and academics alike. To further enhance the experience, she includes a glossary, notes, bibliography, and index. Many pages contain full-color pictures or maps. The quality of the volume is reminiscent of a coffee table book, even though its dimensions are of normal size.

Anyone drawn to the book by its title goes away with a far better understanding of how, where, and why Ireland was a nursery for pirates. The Alliance of Pirates is an invaluable and welcome addition to piratical history.

[Garret Cahill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting, if slightly diffuse, study of the nature of pirating in west Cork in the early seventeenth century. For anyone who knows this part of the world, it's a real eye-opener to contemplate the far-ranging maritime life of communities that now seem remote and parochial. But as the famous Barbary raid on Baltimore in 1631 shows, Ireland's seas provided far easier access to the Mediterranean and north Africa than is the case today, and Kelleher's book adds to the richness of the history of this period. Full of interesting detail, and considerable research, I wish only that she had perhaps focussed on one or two figures as well as the overall story - this might have made the book a little more digestible.