Irish people in Jamaica

Irish Jamaicans
Gael-hIamáice
Regions with significant populations
Portland · Saint Thomas · Saint Andrew · Saint Catherine · Manchester
Languages
Jamaican English, Irish (historical), Ulster Scots (historical)
Related ethnic groups
Irish diaspora, White Jamaican

Irish people in Jamaica or Irish Jamaicans, are Jamaican citizens whose ancestors originated from Ireland. If counted separately, Irish people would be the second-largest reported ethnic group in Jamaica, after Afro-Jamaicans.[1]

Historical background

The first wave of Irish immigrants occurred in the early 17th century, principally sailors, servants, and merchants. Many of the poorer emigrants were displaced Gaelic-Irish and Anglo-Irish Catholics, as well as convicts who were indentured servants. Many of the indentured servants were transported unwillingly. Of those surviving the long journey, many more succumbed to disease, the harsh conditions and unfamiliar tropical conditions.[2][3]

First contact with Jamaica

Irish-born prisoners and indentured servants[4] were first brought to Jamaica in large numbers under the English republic of Oliver Cromwell following the capture of Jamaica from the Spanish in 1655 by William Penn and Robert Venables as part of Cromwell's strategic plan to dominate the Caribbean: the "Western Design".

In 1655, Henry Cromwell, Major-General of the Parliamentary Army in Ireland, arranged for the transportation of approximately 1,000 Irish girls and 1,000 Irish young men be sent to assist in the colonisation of Jamaica.[5]

Later history

In 1731, governor of Jamaica Robert Hunter said that the "servants and people of lower rank on the island chiefly consist of Irish Papists" who he said had "been pouring in upon us in such sholes as of late years".[6] In the mid-18th century, Irish native names such as O'Hara and O'Connor were prominent, as well as Old English families like Talbot and Martin. Names present in 1837, recorded during the compensation hearings, include Walsh, O'Meally, O'Sullivan, Burke, Hennessy, Boyle, Tierney, Geoghagan, and Dillon.

Cultural influences

The Irish Gaelic language poet Eoghan Rua Ó Súilleabháin wrote his only English-language work in Port Royal, Jamaica while serving on a Royal Navy vessel.[7]

Notable Jamaicans of Irish descent

See also

Further reading

  • Thomas Povey's Diary, British Library, MS 12410, Folio 10
  • The Tide Between Us, by Olive Collins
  • To Hell or Barbados: The Ethnic Cleansing of Ireland, by Sean O’Callaghan, Brandon Press, IS N #9780863222870

References

  1. ^ "Welcome to Sligoville: The story of the Irish in Jamaica". irishtimes.com. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  2. ^ "The Ties that bind Ireland and Jamaica". Irish Echo Newspaper.
  3. ^ "Welcome to Sligoville: The story of the Irish in Jamaica". The Irish Times.
  4. ^ Garcia, Miki (November 29, 2019). The Caribbean Irish: How the Slave Myth was Made. John Hunt Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78904-269-6 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Arrival of the Irish". jamaicatimeline.com.
  6. ^ Nini Rodgers. "The Irish in the Caribbean 1641-1837 : An Overview" (PDF). Irlandeses.org. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  7. ^ Garcia, Miki (November 29, 2019). The Caribbean Irish: How the Slave Myth was Made. John Hunt Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78904-269-6 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ "Bustamante's rise to prominence - JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM". www.jamaicaobserver.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  9. ^ "Professor Evelyn O'Callaghan for Edward Baugh lecture". jamaica-gleaner.com. October 10, 2014.
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