The Sacking of Baltimore
This story encapsulates a vivid and accurate account of the Barbary Turkish pirate invasion of Baltimore in 1631 through the medium of drama, storytelling and music. The drama element of the production re-enacts and follows Captain Murat and his cronies from Algiers to Baltimore, on an arduous sea adventure to Baltimore as they plunder and pillage in Ireland.
This is a docu drama program based on historical events in Irish maritime history. More commonly known as “The Sacking of Baltimore” in 1631 in Baltimore, barbary pirates reigned the
Mediterranean from Algeria as far as Tripoli in Lebanon over a period of 300 years (16th -19th
Centuries). In 1631 these renegades launched a surprise attack on the people of Baltimore in West Cork and creating havoc amongst the local village population.
The town was raided under the command of Captain Murat (A Dutch Renegade), looted and
burned, whilst kidnapping 108 villagers from their beds. The villagers were loaded onto
boats where they were taken to Algiers in North Africa.
A mix of narration, interviews from historians, the community of Baltimore, drama and
music will shape this documentary into a lively maritime story from the past that is very
much a part of Baltimore’s present through their numerous festivals and gatherings that
mark these historical events.