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
Montserrat Democratic Party with the New People's Liberation Movement and an independent MP. Although the NPLM had won three seats, MDP leader Lowell Lewis became Chief Minister. The party did not contest the 2009 elections, although Lewis ran as an independent and was elected. The party also failed to contest the 2014 elections. Montserrat Democratic Party The Montserrat Democratic Party (MDP) was a political party in Montserrat. The original Montserrat Democratic Party was established in 1958 and led by Eric Kelsick. It was only the second party founded in the country after the Montserrat Labour Party. In the May 1958 elections it put