GRIOTS REPUBLIC - An Urban Black Travel Mag - March 2016

een staples in the cultural diet
of the island’s child population
for generation after generation
due to Irish influence- except this
diet included variations to the
narratives that added the Africanlore
of the emancipated slaves.
The impact of Soufriere Hills’
eruption in 1995 is still palpable.
What was once a lively island-wide
celebration and national holiday
declined after the exodus of the
island’s natives during the first
decade of what is referred to locally
as “The Crisis”. Current celebrations
of St. Patrick’s Day, founded by
the island’s civil and church youth
groups in 1982, represent an island
wounded by both its colonial and
volcanic past and present. With
the passage of time, volcanic
activity has slowed significantly
and Montserrat is solidly on the
path to rebirth and redevelopment.
The numerous Caricom nationals
from the neighboring Caribbean
islands also left their mark on the
island’s culture and celebrations.
St. Patrick celebrations evolved
to include differing nationalities
and foods from the Dominican
Republic, Jamaica, Guyana and
Haiti. The introduction of pan-
Caribbean cuisine creates a
smorgasbord of delicacies to
whet the adventurous palates of
our guests from all over the world.
This March 17th, and the week
leading up to that climax, visitors
to Montserrat will be treated to
an ambitious calendar of events
that includes long distance races,
hiking, island-wide boat ride tours
of the abandoned City of Plymouth,
food tasting events, dances,
Calypso shows, pub crawls,
lectures, helicopter tours and the
much-anticipated parade. Access
and accessibility to the island has
been the bane of the locals and
visiting foreigners, since the volcanic
activity has knocked the island out
of the LIAT network. Leeward Island
Air Transport (LIAT) is the regional
carrier airline, which traditionally
provides air service to the smaller
islands from the large island hubs
of Trinidad, Barbados and Antigua.
However, access to the island
can be obtained by first landing
in neighboring Antigua and taking
either a 1 & 1/4 hour ferry ride over
to the island or a 17-minute flight.
Montserrat is now a weekly port of
call Windstar Cruises and Sea Dream
Yacht Club cruises. Additionally,
JetBlue Airways, now operates a
non-stop flight service from New
York’s JFK three times a week. So if
you’re looking for a place to celebrate
“All Thing Irish,” with an Afro-
Caribbean flavor, why not visit “The
Other Emerald Isle”- Montserrat?
We would sure love to have you!