Granuaile was a Pirate Queen born around 1530, daughter of a Gaelic chieftain, who sailed between Ireland, Scotland and Spain. Legend has it that, as a child, she cut off all her hair to disguise herself as a boy, in order to steal onto one of her father’s ships as he set sail on a trading expedition.
She was true to herself all her life, never surrendering to social conventions, danger or even Queen Elizabeth I. Her courage and charisma made her leader of an army of 200 men and captain of a fleet of galleys as well as matriarch of her family and neighbouring clansmen. She broke the mould and played a unique role in History.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-ttrQ38mOc
I didn’t know any of this when I came across this video on youtube by chance but, somehow, as Mairead Nesbitt jumped around the stage with her fiddle, looking blissful and light, and bright, it dawned on me that it was the most precious gift she could give the world, unique and beautiful .
I realized we don’t need a world full of Ghandis. We need a world where Ghandi is Ghandi and we follow his teaching, where Mairead is Mairead, Granuaile is Granuaile , you are you and I am me.
This post was created by Ines, who hopes you enjoyed the clip as much as she did.
What’s your gift?
Tell LEM… xo