Walter Finch
A SPANISH North African enclave is one of the few places outside the English-speaking world to recognise St Patrick’s Day as an official holiday – thanks to an Irish military hero.
Melilla is set to honour Waterford-born General John Sherlock during 10 days of festivities to mark the 250th anniversary of his historic defence against Moroccan forces.
Sherlock – known locally as Juan – is credited with successfully defending Melilla against a 100-day siege by Moroccan Sultan Muley Mohamed Ben Abdal-Lah and his 40,000 troops in 1775.
The siege was officially lifted on March 19, just two days after St Patrick’s Day, making this week’s commemorations particularly significant for the enclave’s residents.
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Melilla, a 12-square-kilometre territory on Morocco’s Mediterranean coast with a population of around 86,500, has maintained strong connections to Ireland since Sherlock’s heroic stand.
This year’s celebrations will be especially grand, with organisers planning a string of events including exhibitions, tours and lectures about Sherlock’s life and the famous siege.
The enclave’s Irish connections don’t end with Sherlock.
Three streets in Melilla are named after generals with Irish heritage, including General Leopoldo O’Donnell, descendant of County Donegal’s O’Donnell clan, who won a decisive battle in 1860 that confirmed Melilla’s status as Spanish territory.
A special ‘Sherlock Route’ guided tour is scheduled for March 29, taking participants through Melilla’s Irish street names with bilingual explanations and musical performances.
Melilla and its sister enclave Ceuta have been flashpoints for centuries of tension between Spain and Morocco.
Spain maintains that both territories have been Spanish since the 15th century, while Morocco disputes this claim – a situation that mirrors the ongoing sovereignty debate with Gibraltar.
Both enclaves sit on the frontline of migration between Africa and the European Union and are heavily fortified with security fences.
Recent years have seen periodic diplomatic flare-ups, with Morocco closing custom posts in 2018 and allowing migrants into Ceuta in 2021.
While relations have improved somewhat, there are concerns in Spain that US President Donald Trump may recognise the enclaves as Moroccan territory during his current term, following his 2020 recognition of Western Sahara as part of Morocco – a move that angered Spanish authorities.
Despite these tensions, residents of both enclaves remain strongly in favour of maintaining their current status as Spanish territories.
