THEIR national anthem is God Save The Queen, and they celebrate St Patrick’s Day with a public holiday.
No not Northern Ireland, but Montserrat, sometimes called The Other Emerald Isle. Much of the population of the Caribbean island is of Irish descent.
Their March 17 festival includes a commemoration of a slave uprising on St Patrick's Day, 1768 - entirely appropriate as St Patrick was the first person in recorded history to speak out against slavery, having been himself a slave.
A proud Montserrat girl celebrates St Patrick's Day (Montserrat Tourist Board)All countries with a sizeable Irish population have their own St. Patrick's Day celebration.
Australia, Canada, Argentina and South Africa all mark the day with varying degrees of saintliness, but only Ireland and Nigeria have given St. Patrick the job of official patron saint.
The Apostle of Ireland was promoted to Patron of Nigeria in 1961. Irish bishops in Nigeria named him as the country's patron in 1961.
The Irish have a long history in the country: Irish nationalist Roger Casement — born in Co. Antrim and executed in Dublin in 1916 for his role in the Easter Rising —investigated human rights abuses in colonial Nigeria in the late 19th century.
As British consul, he documented mistreatment of indigenous peoples by European traders and colonial officials. This work laid the foundation for later exposés in the Congo and Peru.
Currently in Nigeria Catholics in the country number some 20 million, and Nigerian seminaries send their ordinates all over the world to serve as priests.
Celebrating St Patrick's Day in BrentToday in Brent, Cllrs Ryan Hack, Orleen Hylton and Erica Gbajumo have been busy organising Brent’s Pre-St Patrick’s Day Celebration which will explore St Patrick’s links in both Nigeria and Montserrat.
They’re having a Brent’s Pre-St Patrick’s Day Celebration in Willesden on 15 March at the Learie Constantine Centre, Willesden, NW10 2ET, from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
There will be live music, free food and a raffle. Entry is free to this event. This free event has been organised in partnership with the Brent Irish Advisory Service (BIAS) and the Montserrat Government UK Office.
Irish people have long been present in the Brent area, having first come into Kilburn in the mid-nineteenth century when starvation in Ireland and the demand for Irish labour in Britain brought thousands of Irish people to London.
This event proudly showcases Nigerian culture with delicious food and fun entertainment. Nigeria brews Guinness and is currently the world's second-largest consumers of Guinness, having brewed the beverage at its Ikeja plant since 1962. The Guinness Nigeria's recipe uses maize and sorghum that are grown locally.
Montserratian culture will also be celebrated on March 15 in Willesden. All are welcome to the event, which is free.
Brent’s Pre-St. Patrick’s Day Celebration in Willesden on 15 March at the Learie Constantine Centre, Willesden, NW10 2ET, from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
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