Grace O'Malley

Grace O'Malley, or Gráinne Mhaol as she was known in her native Ireland, was born into a seafaring clan and quickly learned that ruling the waves was far more interesting than ruling a hearth. As a true renaissance woman of the high seas, she inherited her father's shipping and trading business (and possibly his taste for piracy), becoming a powerful and independent leader in a man's world. She truly redefined "girlboss" centuries before the term was coined, mostly by sinking English ships.

Her life was a swashbuckling saga involving multiple marriages, fierce battles, and shrewd political maneuvering. She famously sailed to England to meet Queen Elizabeth I, refusing to bow, conversing in Latin, and allegedly blowing her nose into a fancy handkerchief given to her by an English noble. Talk about making a grand entrance, and exit.

While her exploits were legendary, her Jewish score remains as barren as the high seas without a single British merchant vessel in sight. There's no indication she ever swapped a rosary for a prayer shawl, or a shillelagh for a lulav. Her heritage is distinctly, defiantly, and very, very Irish.