The Caribbean Irish: 'the diaspora are hungry for knowledge'
Miki Garcia author of Irish history books
- The Caribbean Irish – How the Slave Myth Was Made
- Miki Garcia
- Chronos Books, €15 paperback
THE term ‘Bro’ (a derivation of brother) can be traced back to at least 1660 and an original reference to African-American men. Nowadays, its most common meaning is ‘male friend’, irrespective of colour. On reading Miki Garcia’s The Caribbean Irish, as a ‘hot take’ on race and language, when Afro-Caribbeans address Irishmen as ‘Bro’ today, could this be prompted by an intangible genetic memory, and might they be, if not brothers, distant cousins at least?
Miki Garcia’s book, The Caribbean Irish – How the Slave Myth Was Made (Chronos Books) presents us with a fresh look at the Irish Diaspora, the West Indies and slavery. As the Black Lives Matter movement makes the 1600s ever topical, this book reflects on the same period in Irish history, ethnic cleansing, forced migration, emigration, and indentured servitude that had lasting legacies. Garcia explains how the Irish Travelling community are also rooted in this era. A people dispossessed of lands, they were forced ‘West of the Shannon’ to roam, to paraphrase Cromwell ‘to Hell or to Connaught.’
In a more modern era, Rebuilding London - Irish Migrants in Post War Britain (History Press) Garcia explores ‘the decade of disappearing Irish’, the years immediately after the Second World War and peak period of emigration since the Great Famine. Many of these migrants went to Britain and played a key role in rebuilding the country after the ravages of war. Her book Ireland’s Invasion of the World: the Irish Diaspora In A Nutshell (History Press) is self-explanatory. And, with more Irish related books in the pipeline, when did Garcia, a Japanese/Dutch journalist, who identifies herself as a ‘Londoner’ and an ‘internationalist’ begin her fascination with Irish history?
A journalist who lived in Africa, Asia, Europe and the USA, Garcia states her first interaction with Irish people was when volunteering with a human rights charity in London .‘I got to know quite a few Irish homeless in the Kings Cross area and discovered they had similar characteristics – all teenagers of the 1950s who came from the countryside to work as ‘navvy’ construction workers. A trigger was woken; as a journalist I asked all the ‘Whys’ as no one knew anything about those people; I started studying Irish history.’ Her subsequent book explored the economic and social factors of Irish emigration of the period, and the various support systems that formed as a result, the Church, Irish clubs and charities.
Their legacy is not only in bricks and mortar, but cultural and still tangible today. ‘I‘m interested in social history; that is history from above, not from below. I studied how Irish people were the major workforce for centuries in England and Britain as a whole.’ She states that in the footsteps of Germans and Russians like Engels and Marx, she too became fascinated by the Irish within the British system and how they were impacted by colonisation.
An experienced journalist, Garcia says ‘I’m obsessed with Irish history, my interest lying more with the Irish diaspora rather than the Irish at home. I consider myself a Londoner, and culturally, if you know London, you know Irish people played a big part in its development for centuries. I started getting interested in Irish history during the 1990s IRA bombing campaigns in London. Irish history is not taught in England; unless you make a real effort to educate yourself you haven’t a clue what’s going on. As a journalist I was curious around censorship laws and why the BBC wouldn’t broadcast Gerry Adams' voice. With no proper information on what was going on in Northern Ireland, I took it upon myself to learn.
Initially, I studied Irish history to understand events; now it’s become a passion. I learned Irish. I learned how to play the Bodhrán, tin whistle and uileann pipes. I lived in Dublin for a time.’ With an MA in journalism, when she’s not writing books on the Irish diaspora, Garcia works for various institutes and think-tanks, recent academic research including the war-time Irish linen market. ‘As a journalist by profession I’m grateful to be able to do different things; I’m currently researching the impacts of Brexit for consultants and think-tanks.’
Garcia explains the trigger for her Caribbean Irish research. ‘Two years ago there was a popular internet search topic around Black Lives Matter, the Irish and slavery. After reading a lot of wrong information and opinions online I wanted to write something not too heavy on the matter, something easy, accessible and informative so The Caribbean Irish was born.’ From 1620 onwards the Irish were amongst the earliest settlers in the Caribbean. Although some arrived as influential colonisers and merchants, the majority were indentured servants. Garcia explains. ‘The original title was simply the Caribbean Irish. I was a bit nervous about the final title as it can be a bit contentious.’
An indentured servant's life in the British West Indies was no better than slavery. Following abduction, a cruel period of free labour promised low survival rates, starvation and severe punishments dished up daily as they toiled for free on sugar, cotton and tobacco farms. However, once African slaves arrived, being hardier in the tropical climate, they were considered a more valuable commodity. Servants’ roles diminished, the Irish now spread their wings to all levels of Caribbean society. The book gives a 200-year history of ports, trades, wars of religion, and insights into the poorest and richest of the Irish Caribbean community. The political situation at home in Ireland always coloured events; we read of Irish rebellions on British islands and constant deflections to those preferred under Spanish rule.
Garcia tells the Irish Examiner: "I travelled the West Indies to research. To my delight the Jamaican archives were fantastic and held centuries old materials in good condition – the Caribbean can be humid and hot; I often found old documents gone rotten. I loved travelling around the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean – Montserrat. I definitely picked up on the Irish accent there; linguists are researching this; however with the advent of globalisation it is now disappearing.’
"Across the world the Irish diaspora are hungry for knowledge. Whether its IRA bombings or the current Brexit/ Border issue, it’s impossible to understand if you don’t know the history. Continental Europeans don’t study Irish history either so it’s a pretty much hidden subject. I find myself giving informal Irish history lectures in pubs, parties and gatherings, especially to those who’ve become Irish citizens as adults; I’ve met South Americans and Africans of Irish descent hungry for information; I feel I have a role to play in sharing my passion."
As centuries old contributors to England and Britain, Garcia feels the Irish were victims overwhelmed by a British system. "The British Empire and its impact on the Irish is a fascinating subject. The reason I wanted to be a journalist initially was my interest in human rights, however my writing perspective is very much through the eyes of British history; you can’t study Irish history without understanding British authoritarianism." On asked her feelings on the Dutch Orange influence on the Irish flag, Garcia states that while her Japanese background is custom based, in contrast the Dutch are forward-looking. "They spend little time studying history and rarely look back, a different cultural approach to the British and Irish who celebrate past events as part of their normal ritual."
Speaking Dutch, Japanese and English, Garcia has learned Irish, mostly in order to read Irish texts but also to sing as Gaeilge. "While I enjoy it I’m not desperate to reach perfect." On future projects, she states "I’m always working on something. I’m in a gestation period for my next volume of Irish interest research, though currently studying connections between Dutch and Irish which I’m soon to write about it; there is so much similarity in words and pronunciation, it’s fascinating."
