"Motherland" is the national song of the British overseas territory of Montserrat. It was composed by academic J. A. George Irish and written by former acting Governor of Montserrat Sir Howard A. Fergus. "Motherland" was officially passed into law by the Legislative Assembly of Montserrat as the Territorial Song of Montserrat in 2014, after an extensive public search for a national song through open participation by Montserratians at home and abroad.
J. A. George Irish and Howard A. Fergus were the first two recipients of Montserrat's historic national award of the Order of Excellence, the highest honour granted to living citizens for their distinguished careers in education and community leadership. The official rendition submitted to the government for its archives and public usage is performed by the international artist Ayanna Irish
The original version of the song was written as an unofficial "nationalist anthem" titled "O Emerald Isle" to express a nascent cultural pride that emerged in the early 1970s as part of an educational and cultural revival in Montserrat under the leadership of the young academic, Dr. J. A. George Irish, in his role as the academic and administrative Head of the newly established local Extra-Mural Branch of the University of the West Indies.
"Saba, you rise from the ocean" is the regional song of the Caribbean island Saba, a special municipality of the Netherlands. The anthem was written and composed by Christina Maria Jeurissen, a Dominican nun, in 1960.[1] It was established by the Island Council on 6 December 1985 and officially ratified on 10 October 2010.
"Saba, you rise from the ocean" is the regional song of the Caribbean island Saba, a special municipality of the Netherlands. The anthem was written and composed by Christina Maria Jeurissen, a Dominican nun, in 1960.[1] It was established by the Island Council on 6 December 1985 and officially ratified on 10 October 2010.
"O Land of Beauty!" is the national anthem of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Written and composed by Kenrick Georges, it was officially adopted as the national anthem of the newly independent nation in 1983, when the federation received its independence from the United Kingdom.
On Saint Kitts and Nevis's first independence day, 19 September 1983, Prime Minister Kennedy Simmonds awarded Georges for his contribution as composer and writer of the national anthem. Georges stated in a 2008 interview that he considered writing the anthem the high point of his musical career. He stated that the idea behind the lyrics was to call for citizens to see the country "for the best of what it was and maintain that as we go along." He described the overall concept as, "Let’s keep St. Kitts and Nevis as it is with respect to the best of what we have between us.
"Saint Vincent, Land so Beautiful" is the national anthem of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The song was first performed in 1967[1] and was adopted as the national anthem upon independence from the United Kingdom in 1979. The lyrics were written by Phyllis Joyce McClean Punnett and the music by Joel Bertram Migue.
