Born in the Caribbean in 1953, Samuel left the Cayman Islands in 1974 following the death of his mother and eight years after the death of his father. He took up residency in the Republic of Ireland and spent the next five years travelling around the country and getting to know the people and learn the history of his new home.
During this time, developed an interest in the history of Ireland and became an advocate for its unification. This interest led to his introduction to the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and he considered joining, but ultimately established an independent group that was recruited from the black community of Ireland.
It was named the Irie.