It is the week when Irish descendants everywhere “switch gears” to celebrate the tenth St. Patrick’s Day of the twenty first century. My island of Montserrat with its strong Irish tradition and history and has expanded the commemoration of March 17, 1978 to a week long celebration. Today begins a week long celebration as we observe the efforts of our Irish ancestor’s attempts to gain freedom; that led to the 1768 uprising. Three hundred years on and the spirit of the ancestor’s still lives on and this is echoed throughout the celebration of St. Patrick’s week. “As the wooden shamrock adorns the gable at the Government house many are busy in preparation for the week.” Custom officers are busy stamping the shamrock in many passports. Slave huts are being erected. The national dish goat water is being prepared. Both residents and visitors move to the beats of the bodhran, babla (drums.) The masquerades crack their whips. The mood is cheerful and contagious and we remember our heritage in varied and imaginative ways. Enjoy the video and view the list events scheduled for the week of celebrations.
When one thinks of heritage they think of inheritance, birthright, custom or tradition. Today I cannot help but think of our Irish heritage which dates back to 1630 when the Irish Catholics came from nearby St. Kitts to colonize Montserrat.
The island heritage is highlighted on St Patricks Day an Irish holiday, commemorating the patron Saint of Ireland, St. Patrick, who converted the Irish to Christianity. Montserrat is the only country outside Ireland that keeps St. Patrick’s Day as a national holiday. It does not have to be St. Patrick’s Day to think about our heritage. Traditions of our Irish past where preserved in the names of places/villages (Corkhill, Kinsale, Carrs Bay), surnames (Daly, Galaway,Sweeny, Harris, OBrien, Allen etc.), food (our national dish; goat water), folk songs, a distinctive passport stamp the shamrock, social graces (never pass someone on the street without speaking to them) and so on. In time we realize that we are living, eating and drinking history every day.
I worked for RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland) while I was in England and was struck by the similarities of the names of villages in Ireland and Montserrat (Kinsale, Cork, Galway etc.) simply coming across these places makes history dance off the pages. I would occasionally visit these Towns and Villages via the World Wide Web. As I become older my curiosity deepens about our ancestors and my quest to make a special effort to literally connect the past to the present expands.
A pressing question remains (as many have asked) where did the first settlers first settle? Presuming it was Carrs Bay; where it was considered a good harbour on the Leeward side of the island and a stones throw away from St. Kitts. Have we come full circle in relocating to the North, especially after the other speculative sites such as Sugar Bay Kinsale are now totally buried and Brisket Bay (Old Road Bay) remains uninhabitable?
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