Algerian pirate raids on Ireland

[barnegat]

Hi. The real reason I came to post: I am in the process of developing an SCA personna. I keep running into dead ends. I understand that the village of Baltimore (Baile Ti Mor) in the south of Ireland was raided by Algerian pirates in 1631 and approx. 100 people were carried off and sold into slavery. I want to know if this happened a lot and when this type of event started. I'm trying to fix a date for my personna as being born in 1592 and if I can't establish these raids as happening by this date then I'm going to have to think of something else and start over. Any information, if you can give me a legit. reference (as I have to document all this), would be greatly appreciated.

[Red Maria]

Hi.  The real reason I came to post:  I am in the process of developing an SCA personna.  I keep running into dead ends.  I understand that the village of Baltimore (Baile Ti Mor) in the south of Ireland was raided by Algerian pirates in 1631 and approx. 100 people were carried off and sold into slavery.  I want to know if this happened a lot and when this type of event started.  I'm trying to fix a date for my personna as being born in 1592 and if I can't establish these raids as happening by this date then I'm going to have to think of something else and start over.  Any information, if you can give me a legit. reference (as I have to document all this), would be greatly appreciated.

It is said that Granuaile N' Mally aka Grace O'Malley, the Irish Pirate Queen, fought off Algerian corsairs one day after giving birth to a child. that was around the 1570's.

It is said that she was below decks nursing when the ship attacked. Her men were losing and the captain came down begging her assistance to which she replied, "May you be seven times worse off this day twelve months, who can't do without me for one day" She then took command of the battle and stormed the deck. The Algerian corsairs supposedly were so shocked by this powerful women leading the battle that they were transfixed and Granuaile's men won the battle. ("Bold in Her Breeches" pg. 102)

Here stronghold was Clare Island which is on the west coast of Ireland. Baltimore is on south coast I believe. There were raids of Barbary Coast cosairs along the southern coasts of Britain and Ireland in the 16th century (see Bold in Her Breeches" pg. 26-27century.