IRISH IN THE CARRIBEAN

The surname McGinley, along with many other Irish names, can be found throughout the Carribean today. Some are 20th Century settlers but some are descended from Irish slaves who were transported to the islands hundreds of years before.

BARBADOS

Irish slaves first arrived on the island of Barbados in the early 1650’s as a result of Oliver Cromwells activities in Ireland. The English had raped and pillaged the island and claimed it as their own twenty odd years earlier. Barbados was regarded as the perfect place to send Irish political prisoners, to subdue them and to use them as slaves. By the mid 1650’s, Oliver Cromwells ‘Barbadosed Irish’ as they were termed numbered many thousands. The Irish taken, were those who refused to leave their ancient lands or who fought against the English. A good percentage also included ordinary people who were simply picked from their homes for apparently no reason other than being Irish. Cromwell was credited with the phrase ‘to Hell or Connacht’ but he is also said to have muttered ‘to Hell or Barbados’ as well! The number of Irish slaves sent to Barbados cannot be accurately gaged but estimates range from 14,000 to 45,000. Records show that the Irish would often join together with the African slaves in revolt against their English masters. Today their descendants are still to be found on the island. They are now a small population of ‘poor whites’ often called ‘redlegs’.

BERMUDA

Since the year 1609 Bermuda has been controlled by the English. They invaded the island and subdued the native people very quickly. They later sent Irish slaves or ‘prisoners of war’ as they were initially called, to the island. The numbers sent were fairly low until the 1650’s when Oliver Cromwell sent many thousands of Irish to the island. His large scale ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Ireland ensued with the result of numerous Irish being transported to Bermuda. The English also had many African slaves on the island. The English learned of a plot between the Irish and African slaves to overthrow the colony. The English on the island then put a ban on the further importation of the troublesome Irish. The Irish were never slow to start a revolt in the Carribean whenever an opportunity could be found. Today, very little is remembered or talked about the Irish slaves of Bermuda. The area with the strongest ‘awareness’ of its Irish heritage and the Irish slave trade is St Davids Island at the eastern end of Bermuda. The most westerly island is called Ireland Island!

JAMAICA

It was after the notorious ‘Siege of Drogheda’ that the Carribean island of Jamaica saw a large influx of Irish slaves sent there by Oliver Cromwell. In the two or three years after Drogheda, an estimated 12,000 rebels, later described by the English as ‘bonded workers’ or ‘indentured servants’, later again as slaves, arrived on the island. Throughout the 1650’s, there was a large push by the English Government to send as many Irish ‘troublemakers’ as possible out to the West Indies. Records show that some of the slaves were given a ‘period’ of ten years after which they were freed. This was when many would have went to America. The chance to return home to Ireland was not offered to them. The hope was that they would later be ‘civilised’ and accept ‘Englishness and Christianity’!

MARTINIQUE

Martinique is another Carribean island with a history of Irish slaves. Many hundreds of Irish slaves and prisoners of war were sent to the island since the mid 1650’s, possibly before. Records clearly show that the Irish slaves were often treated more harshly than the African slaves. The main reason for this seems to be because the Irish were much more riotous and much less likely to accept their position. Of the many ‘revolts’ recorded among slaves, nearly all had the hand of an Irishman at the centre. It was not until the year 1699 that the Irish on Martinique had the chance to avail of some Catholic spirituality when a priest was sent to the island. After the failed 1798 Rebellion in Ireland, many Irish were still being sent to Martinique including one Andrew Bryson who wrote of his terrible experiences.

MONTSERRAT

The tiny beautiful island of Montserrat, part of the Leeward Islands group, was first settled in 1631 when Irish Catholics were forcibly sent there by the English Authorities. The number of Irish slaves on Montserrat is not known but there were many thousands at least. Today, the island is fully aware of its Irish slave trade past. After the ‘Siege of Drogheda’ in 1649, Oliver Cromwell ordered that thousands of Irish be sent to Montserrat and Barbados. Cromwell destroyed the town of Drogheda and killed many women and children. What was left were sent to Barbados and Montserrat. Today, Montserrat celebrates its Irish connections and apart from Ireland, is the only country in the world to officially regard St Patricks Day as a national holiday. The typical Irish emblem of the harp can be found on the Montserrat flag.

Other places in the Carribean saw the arrival of Irish and African slaves. Guiana saw the influx of the Irish as early as 1629, but never to a heavy scale. Antigua was another location for England to dump her ‘unwanted’. Records show that the English controlled the slave trade here consisting of both Irish and Africans as early as 1632. The tiny island of St Kitts also had some Irish slaves.

Accounts at the time reflect the evils put on the Irish nation by the Cromwellian regime. The eyewitness testimony of Thomas Wood, a Cromwellian soldier, suggests that an unquantifiable number of women and children were killed in and around St Peters Church. The severity and evil intention of these so called soldiers against harmless women and children almost beggers belief. The thinking of these so called civilised Englishmen was that future generations should be wiped out. The massacre of more than two thousand Irish civilians at Wexford was another 'feather in their caps'.

After the Siege of Drogheda, Oliver Cromwell said, after slaughtering nearly all of the townspeople, women and children included, “I do not think thirty escaped with their lives. Those that did are in safe custody for the Barbados” He justified his actions saying it was for their own good and hopefully it would make them ‘English’. His son, Henry Cromwell was obviously from his daddy’s ‘mould’. He seized a thousand “Irish wenches” to sell in Barbados. He also suggested that 2,000 Irish boys aged between 12 and 14 years should be forcibly removed from their families and sent to Barbados for the same purpose. In the year 1662, the ‘Company of Royal Adventurers’ was chartered by Charles II of England to supply the West Indies with 3,000 Irish slaves annually! It is important to remember that the English regarded the Irish as much more dangerous than the African slaves. The Irish were constantly in revolt and harassing their ‘masters’. Record recall the many revolts, insurrections and even mutinies aboard the ships on their way to their final stops, some managed to escape to America. Between the years 1678 and 1713, we notice these rebellions happening often. Many Irish slaves were also ‘transferred’ or ‘sold’ to new masters in America after a while. An estimated 80,000 Irish slaves were sent to the Carribean and to America. England ‘officially’ ended its slave trade in the year 1807, but this did not stop their widespread abuse of the Irish people. Instead of enslaving them they simply imprisoned them.

Today the name of McGinley can be found throughout the Carribean Islands, most of them being descendants of a McGinley from Aughavass in Ireland who went to Antigua in the year 1858. They rose to good positions within Carribean society, especially on Antigua. Some are white skinned and some are dark skinned. The most common spelling of the name, by far, on the various Carribean islands is Maginley. Bearing in mind the low population of the combined Carribean Islands we have the following McGinleys. John W. A. Maginley was a noted figure from Antigua (fl. 1918). Charles Douglas Maginley was born on Antigua in 1929. He sailed with British Merchant ships since 1947, joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1955, retired as Lieutenant Commander in 1976 then taught at the Coast Guard College in Nova Scotia and has written books on coast guard history. 'Tank' Maginley was a noted figure in the 1950's on Antigua, described as 'one of the last of the old planters'. He retired from the Gunthorpe Estate in the 1950's and in retirement he became host at the Kensington Hotel in St John's. There was a noted priest called Fr Roger McGinley in the 1980's who hailed from Montserrat. Chef Martin Maginley was voted 'Top Chef of the Carribean' in 1999 at the young age of 28. He hails from Kingston in Jamaica. By the year 2007, he was the Executive Chef at the Grand Lido Negril. In 2007 Ron Maginley was Official Spokesman for the Antiqua Labour Party. Kithley Maginley was a supporter and member of the UUP (United Progressive Party) on Antigua. Ron Maginley is also the Director of the Directorate of Offshore Gaming for Antigua (2002). We also have Yvonne Maginley, the Deputy Governor-General for Antiqua and Antigua's Director General of Tourism. There is a record of a marriage between a Susan Alice Harriott and a Robert James Maginley in St John's, Antigua in 1909. Robert James Maginley was born on April 22nd 1880. His father was a John Maginley born around 1860 and his father was also a John Maginley and he was born circa 1835. Susan and Robert had only one child, a daughter called Susan Ella Adrianna Maginley born in October 1910 and she unfortunately died a few months later. Records show he signed a crop advance warrant in 1911, as did another Maginley, George Thomas Godfrey Maginley. James R.M. Maginley was a noted Attorney on Antigua in the late 1800's. He is recorded as being the attorney representing two estates of John Maginley (co 248/528, 13th September 1899).

The best known of the name in the Carribean Islands is without doubt Hon. John H Maginley, President of the Executive Committee of the Pan-American Health Organization. He was previously Sports Minister and Health Minister in the Antigan Government. He was also a certified profesional tennis player who played many times in the famous Davis Cup. The above mentioned Maginleys are all from 'old stock' in the Carribean, their families having been there for many generation. His son Jody Maginley is a cricket player for the Antiguan national team.

Some Maginleys were no doubt Indentured Servants. These people were usually given a 'term' in which they would serve as slaves, the usual length being seven or ten years. After that they were released and some were given small parcels of land in the hope that they would improve themselves. The reality was that they were thrown onto the most barren parts of the country with little hope of survival. But some rose out of their awfull situations and made good lives for themselves.
One interesting note should be made regarding the McGinleys of Antigua, according to the author Susan Lowes, in the late 1800's, a freed Portuguese Indendered Servant had risen from his poverty to become the biggest individual landowner on Antigua. But, according to Lowes, the Maginley family combined, were the largest landowners on the island of Antigua! Dr Susan Lowes is Director of Research and Evaluation at the Institute for Learning Technologies at Teachers College, Columbia University.

RED LEGS

In Barbados today, the descendants of the 'wild Irish and Scots' can be found in two very different 'social groups'. The vast majority have assimilated themselves into the general society, mixing with the native people and Black slaves. The result is a light brown race of McGinleys, or should that be Maginleys, who for the most part have succeeded in their lives. All of the previously mentioned Maginleys on the island that have become noted and famous are of this group. Some of them still have distinct Irish features. None have become better known and respected than the previously mentioned Hon. John H. Maginley.

Now, there is a second group to which the Irish and Maginleys can be found. This group are called 'Red Legs' due to the fact that in the early days of there settlement on the island, their ancestors wore the ancient Irish Leine and so had their knees exposed to the sun and very quickly became red! Those that arrived from Scotland in the 1700's often wore the kilt with the same results. This group are today a mix of Irish and Scottish Celts whos bloodlines have changed very little for hundreds of years.

The result today is that the Red Legs are a small group of almost isolated people, located principly in the Bridgetown area of Antigua. The last count gave about 400 individuals. They are the lowest class of people on Antigua and are often looked down upon by other whites as well as Blacks. Like any isolated group of people, they have become prone to hereditary illness and health problems. They generally do not live as long as any other groups on Antigua. They are cursed by alcohol and even drugs (among the younger ones). In many respects they will remind you of the Irish Traveller/Tinker. Both have the same genetic, social, health and cultural problems.

The Red Legs are an isolated, private and ellusive people who do not like to talk to strangers. Very few 'foreigners' have ever managed (or wanted) to interview them. Today the surnames of the Red Legs are predominantly Irish or Scottish Gaelic names. Among the Irish names we have Curtin, Mannix, McLaughlin, O'Donnell, Quinn and ofcourse Maginley, of which one man is still alive.