Irish immigration to Puerto Rico

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Irish immigration to Puerto Rico began during the 16th century after the Spanish had colonized the island and has continued to the present day. During the 1500s, several Irish mercenaries in English service deserted and fled to the Spanish Empire, some of whom made their way to Puerto Rico. Many of these Irishmen served in the Spanish garrison on Puerto Rico, settling down, establishing families and integrating into the local community. During the 17th and 18th centuries, several Irish military officers and colonial officials in Spanish service, such as Alejandro O'Reilly, were sent to Puerto Rico, further boosting the Irish community in the colony. By the end of the 18th century, a steady level of immigration resulted in a sizeable Irish community in Puerto Rico.^[1]

During the French Revolutionary Wars, all Irish people were temporarily expelled from Puerto Rico as a result of a decree issued by Governor Ramón de Castro y Gutiérres. Castro had received news of the British capture of Trinidad, and grew suspicious of all English-speakers in the colony. As a result, the Irish and British communities in Puerto Rico were rounded up, imprisoned and deported by Spanish colonial authorities. The expulsion of the Irish proved immensely controversial and eventually most of them discreetly returned to the island. In 1815, the government of Spain issued the Royal Decree of Graces, which aimed to encourage Europeans to settle in Puerto Rico and thereby blunt movements for independence in the colony.

Many Irish who fled their homeland because of the Great Famine of the 1840s (over one million people died as a result of this famine) immigrated to the United States. A significant number of them went to Puerto Rico after being turned away at American ports because of epidemic outbreaks on board the ships on which they sailed. Many of these Irish settlers were instrumental in the development of the island's hugely successful sugar industry. This industry was vital to the growing local economy. After Puerto Rico was ceded to the United States by Spain as a consequence of the Spanish–American War in 1898, many US soldiers of Irish-American ancestry were stationed in the island. They met members of the population who were island-born and Irish-descended. These soldiers stayed in Puerto Rico where they were quickly incorporated into the Irish, non-Irish, and native communities throughout the island. The Irish influence in Puerto Rico is not limited to their contributions to the island's agricultural industry; they have also influenced the fields of education, the arts and sciences, and politics.