Colonization
The Irish roots of the island - it is also known as the "Emerald Isle of the Carribean." - originated in 1632 when Sir Thomas Warner, in St. Kitts, sent rebellious Catholics to colonize the island. Today, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated with glee, and you'll still find lots of Irish names in the phone book. After the slave trade began to support a sugarcane industry, the ratio between blacks and whites soared - 10,000 blacks to 1,300 whites by 1678. Emancipation arrived in 1834. Today, Montserrat remains a British Crown Colony, with a resident governor appointed by, and representing Queen Elizabeth.