21. Barbary pirates once raided the coast of Ireland
The pirates and corsairs of the Barbary Coast were known throughout the Mediterranean and the coasts of Africa, Spain, and Portugal, but their reach and their raids extended beyond those waters for centuries. In 1631, pirates from the Barbary Coast raided in Ireland, led by a Dutchman who had converted to Islam and changed his name to Murad Reis the Younger. The expedition he led encountered a small fishing boat, seized its captain, and in return for a promise to obtain his freedom the captain led Murad and his pirates to the village of Baltimore, in West Cork, Ireland. The traitorous captain was later hanged for his perfidy.
The number of villagers captured by the pirates varies according to sources, from 107 to as many as 200 or more. Most of them were English, though some Irish were seized as well, and they were taken as slaves back to the North African states from which their captors hailed. Only three ever returned to Ireland, after their ransom was paid, a common practice of the Barbary leaders. The rest remained enslaved, manning the oars in Muslim galleys, or in forced labor ashore. The women were sent to the harems of the Muslim leaders, which often traded their concubines with each other for favors or tribute. Baltimore remained a deserted village for almost seven decades.