Montserrat island "Santa María de Montserrate", after the Virgin of Montserrat in the Monastery of Montserrat, on Montserrat mountain, near Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. "Montserrat" means "serrated mountain" in Catalan. Archaeological field work in 2012, in Montserrat's Centre Hills indicated there was an Archaic (pre-Arawak) occupation between 4000 and 2500 BP. Later coastal sites show the presence of the Saladoid culture. In November 1493, Christopher Columbus passed Montserrat in his second voyage, after being told that the island was unoccupied due to raids by the Caribs. A number of Irishmen settled in Montserrat in 1632. The preponderance of Irish in the
Flag of Montserrat Flag of Montserrat The flag of Montserrat is the Montserrat arms placed on the fly of the British Blue Ensign after the colony of the Leeward Islands (which consisted of several British-administered islands in the region) was dissolved in 1958. It is a Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in the canton and the coat of arms of Montserrat in the flie of the country. The arms feature Erin, the female personification of Ireland, and the golden harp, another symbol of Ireland. This reflects the colony's Irish ancestry. The Governor of Montserrat maintains a separate flag. The Governor's flag consists