| In a proclamation issued in 1625, it was ordered | | | | Ireland, in 1654, Cromwell issued a proclamation |
| that Irish political prisoners be transported across | | | | that all Irish lands were to be confiscated and that |
| the Atlantic and sold as slaves to English planters | | | | they were to be moved west of the Shannon or |
| who were at that time settling the islands of the | | | | to the West Indies. By the eighteenth century, |
| West Indies. A 1637 census shows that 69 % of | | | | the export of Irish slaves was becoming more |
| the population of Montserrat were Irish slaves, | | | | and more uncommon. |
| there were also sizeable numbers on neighbouring | | | | Over time, the Irish community in the West |
| Antigua and Guiana. However, there were not | | | | Indies dwindled as they inter-married with the |
| enough political prisoners to meet the demand, so | | | | growing African community. The descendants of |
| people began to be shipped for the slightest | | | | the Irish slaves, became known as redlegs (The |
| infractions and most minor of crimes. In addition, | | | | name is derived from the effects of the tropical |
| slaver gangs combed the countries capturing | | | | sun on their fair skin), emigrated or died off and |
| people to fill their quotas. | | | | now only form a tiny percentage of the |
| Utilising Irish as slaves was more beneficial than | | | | population. To this day, Montserrat is only one of |
| using Africans as they cost nothing, so the | | | | four territories (including Republic of Ireland, |
| demand for the Irish became huge. The policy | | | | Northern Ireland and Newfoundland) that observes |
| was continued during the Cromwellian conquest of | | | | a bank holiday on St. Patrick's Day. |