Sir, - The terrible plight of people of Monsterrat under their lethal volcano must touch us all. A few days ago a bland British voice on the radio informed us that "the first settlers" on the island were mainly Irishmen. This is typical British "economy with the truth".
The first inhabitants of the island were Carib Indians who were exterminated. Next came black people from Africa, brought over by the only genuine "settlers" - British sugar planters. These unfortunate people, after the terrible journey in the slave ships, worked as slaves under the lash, until they died. Next came the Irish, transported to the Caribbean by Cromwell - not "settlers" but slaves.
I spent a few days on the neighbouring island of Antigua this spring. The volcano was almost dormant at that time and the island of Monsterrat was clearly visible across the sound. The history of the two islands is much the same.
The whole fertile centre of Antigua was one vast slave-worked sugar plantation, called "Betty's Hope" after the only daughter of the slave-master owner. A map of the island shows tiny villages with such names as Bodkins (I am a Bodkin), Skerritts (two villages), Blakes, Lynches, etc. - all good Galway names of men transported after the tragic end of the siege of Galway. One of the many small islands off the coast is called Crump Island, presumably after Crump Island off the coast of Renvyle. This island was used as a stud farm to breed from the stronger slaves a continuing labour force.
We were taken bay a pleasant black Antiguan to Devil's Point, on the savage Atlantic coast to see the cliff over which the slaves "when they were too old or sick to work or giving trouble" were pitched into the breakers and rocks below. The evil hangs over it to this day, it is a horrible place.
The Irish slaves, knowing they would never see Ireland or their families again, intermarried with the blacks and today there is little sign of their origins beyond their names and some very pleasant gentle, dignified, coal-black Bodkins, Lynches, etc.
The same applies to Monsterrat, though the Irish names there are different. These are the "settlers" to which the British with typical hypocrisy refer. We should welcome back any who still retain our names and are now again displaced - we mourned them when they were taken away, they are still, black though they be, our blood-brothers! - Is mise,
Anne Bodkin Parker,
Letterfrack, Co Galway.