John Kenny's World Cup Diary
Entry 22 - 17 April
Ireland's cricketing World Cup odyssey is almost at an end having traversed through Trinidad (for the warm up matches), Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados and now Grenada for the final Super Eight game against Sri Lanka.
I haven't seen much of this small but beautiful Caribbean Island apart from our hotel complex ,which is the Rex near the Airport, but it's a fabulous place and the hotel is a wonderfully large spread out area with my room situated about 10 metres from the most glorious beach which reaches into the Atlantic ocean.
Grenada is one of the numerous Caribbean Islands and it really is paradise here but its citizens faced an anxious future back in October 1983 when US president Ronald Reagan ordered his troops into the country.
Operation Urgent Fury, the invasion's code name was in response to the taking over in a coup by Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard but the US army, backed by troops from other Caribbean states overthrew Coard's government.
Previously in 1979 a man named Maurice Bishop had established a Marxist-Leninist government that quickly became part of the cold war as Bishop aligned himself and Grenada to both the Soviet Union and Cuba. Grenada began a military build-up and Reagan perceived Bishop and his government as a threat.
But in 1983 Coard seized power and his forces executed Bishop.
The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States appealed to the United States, Barbados, and Jamaica for assistance and despite the fact that British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher objected, Reagan invaded and overthrew Coard and then withdrew his forces in December 83 after two months in the country.
According two the pair of taxi-drivers I spoke to over the past few days, they were happy to see the Americans come in and replace Coard.
The only invader since was Hurricane Ivan which slammed into the Island in September 2004 killing 39 and damaging almost every house in the country.
Most the agriculture was destroyed as was the tourism infrastructure, communication and electricity lines were also hit hard.
It's taking its time but the country is slowing rebuilding and from what I've seen they are returning slowly to normal. Hopefully climate change won't bring another 120mph hurricane ripping through this paradise.
The Irish cricket team are also based at the Rex along with the Australians New Zealanders and Sri Lankan and there has been an easy mix between the various groups.
It's good to see the Irish lads now been treated as equals amongst the top cricketing nations of the world.
Long may it continue.
