Black Ire was a fictional persona created by Dr. Leonard McCoy in 2269, in an effort to return to Talin IV in the months following the disaster on that world. Black Ire was supposedly a fearsome and dangerous pirate, and a trader in Orion slaves, who had operated for years. McCoy disguised his identity and created Black Ire's fearsome visage by wearing a translator mask, battle helmet, radiation goggles, and a dark cape.
In 2269, the Orion pirate Krulmadden struck a deal with Black Ire to trade twenty-six slaves, and arranged a rendezvous with Black Ire's ship, Heart of the Storm. Black Ire beamed aboard Krulmadden's ship, the RRV Queen Mary, along with his female servant (a disguised Nyota Uhura), where he was quickly disarmed, and then had his ship destroyed. However, with the help of Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov, they were able to take control of the Queen Mary, and McCoy continued using the Black Ire persona until encountering James T. Kirk aboard the SS Ian Shelton. (TOS novel: Prime Directive)