TRAVEL: by Eric Mackenzie Lamb
In the late afternoon of July 18, 1995, I was piloting a small single engine plane from Trinidad to St Maarten. As I approached the island of Montserrat, the weather became extremely foggy and it was difficult to see my surroundings.
Then, suddenly, the plane’s engine began to vibrate, then stutter. I began to slowly descend. This lasted for about four minutes, then the power came back, the clouds dispersed, and I continued my flight. It was when I arrived in St Maarten that I was told that a volcano had just erupted on the island of Montserrat. Which explained why the engine had malfunctioned: I had passed through an airspace without oxygen, which was essential for the plane’s engine to function. On the island itself, 19 people had been killed. How lucky I was, I keep reminding myself.
A few days ago, I took a commercial flight to Montserrat. I was curious to see what had happened on the ground during the volcanic activity. I hired a tour guide/driver to take me around the island to see the extent of destruction from the eruption. The former capital, Plymouth, no longer existed. It was replaced by the district of Brades.
Montserrat was first settled in 1632. Most arrivals were Catholics who left the neighboring island of St Kitts to avoid persecution by its Protestant majority. In 1649 came a large influx of Catholics from the colony of Jamestown , including political prisoners and deportees sent by Oliver Cromwell after his victory in Ireland.
Eighteen percent of the present population have typical Irish names like Sweeney, Riley, Neal, and O’Brien.
Which is why Montserrat is known as the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean.
The current population of Montserrat is estimated to be between 4,500 and 5,000. Most are a mixed combination of Irish who married descendants of African slaves.
Below are some images I took during my visit.
A view of the volcano. You can still see an active smoke cloud on the right side.
