Caribbean academic Dr. George Irish passes
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By Nelson A. King
Dr. George A. Irish, a
Montserratan-born retired professor
at Brooklyn’s Medgar
Ever College, City University of
New York (CUNY), died on Feb.
12. He was 76.
His wife, Joy, told Caribbean
Life that he was hospitalized
since Jan. 8. She did not disclose
the name of the hospital
nor the cause of death.
But Sir Howard Fergus —
who co-authored the Montserrat
National Song with Dr.
Irish, who had resided in the
Bronx – said he was “ailing for
some time,” according to Discover
Montserrat.
Dr. Irish’s academic and
community work embraced
diverse fields. He was the Dean
of the School of Liberal Arts
and Education at Medgar Evers
College, where he also headed
the Caribbean Research Center
(CRC).
At CRC, Dr. Irish documented
and analyzed policy and programs
that affected the Caribbean
immigrant community.
Among other things, he
was also a musician, community
leader and social engineer,
according to Wikipedia.
A graduate of the University
of the West Indies (UWI), Dr.
Irish was the first recipient of
UWI’s Ph.D. degree in Spanish.
Besides Medgar Evers College,
he taught at UWI, where
he headed the Department of
Spanish, and in the Dominican
Republic, at the Universidad
Autonoma de Santo Domingo
(UASD).
He was editor-in-chief and
founder of the scholarly Journal
of Caribbean studies, Wadabagei,
and president of the Caribbean
Diaspora Press, Inc. and
Caribbean American Research
Foundation, Inc. in New York.
In addition, Dr. Irish was
co-founder and chancellor of
the Universidad Popular de
Desarrollo Sostenible de Las
Americas (UNIPOP) and founding
Board member of the International
Center for Sustainable
Development (CIDES) in
Panama.
He authored and edited 32
books, including: Visions of Liberation
in the Caribbean, 1992;
Life in a Colonial Crucible,
1991; Growth of a Revolutionary
Consciousness, 1990; Evolution
of a Global and Diasporic
Vision; and Discourses from
Alliouagana and the Diaspora,
according to Wikipedia.
In 2014, Irish received the
Order of Excellence honor from
the Government of Montserrat,
Discover Montserrat said.
On Feb. 13, Montserrat Premier
Donaldson Romeo led
the volcano-ravaged island
in mourning the death of the
national icon.
“I, like most Montserratians,
am saddened at the passing
of The Right Hon., Dr. James
Alfred George Irish, OE, son of
the soil and national icon,” he
said in a statement. “Whether
known to some as educator,
social activist, trade unionist,
politician, musician, artist,
singer, orator, or Man of God,
in each and every aspect, he
has left an indelible mark on us
individually and collectively.
“On behalf of the government
and people of Montserrat,
I express my sincerest condolences
to his wife and children,
relatives and friends,” Romeo
added. “As we mourn his loss,
may we hold on to and be
comforted by our God, who
Dr. Irish himself chose to love,
serve and represent as a pastor
and Man of God. May he rest
in peace!”
In a poem, Sir Howard said:
“In this sickly season, when
the smell of death pervades
the atmosphere, the passing
of Prof. Irish creates a sad and
gaping hole deeper than six
feet.
“George has left us and has
left much,” added the former
acting Governor of Montserrat.
“At a time when ‘icon’ is
liberally distributed as klim in
our impoverished childhood, it
seems beggarly to so endow
him.
“I dub him a Montserrat
avatar, which carries spiritual
overtones, in honor of
his enormous gifting, which
he generously invested in his
island home, attracting meagre
appreciation,” Sir Howard
continued. “His legacy is wide
and long.”
Dr. George Irish receiving the PDPA award from Congresswoman
Yvette D. Clarke (left) and City Council Member
Laurie Cumbo on Father’s Day, June 2015, at Tropical Paradise
Ballroom. Photo by Nelson A. King