The Treaty Stone of Limerick is not going to Atlantic City

By: The Yank | Published Saturday, January 16, 2010, 5:10 AM | Updated Friday, September 9, 2011, 9:27 PM

The Treaty Stone is not being sold to an Atlantic City casino, says the Limerick Leader. The Treaty Stone, which is nearly sacred in Limerick, will remain right where it is. And rightly so!

Now I know, but people around Limerick don't seem to know, that other than the most committed Irish enthusiasts in America, nobody there has heard of the Treaty Stone and no casino would want it. It would interest too few and require too much explanation for an American audience.

The Treaty Stone (photo) is the stone upon which the 1691 treaty was signed between the victorious forces of King William and the defeated army of King James, led by Irishman Patrick Sarsfield. That treaty called for Catholics (gentry only) to be afforded rights to own property and bear arms, but was only honored for two years before anti-Catholic "penal laws" were imposed on Irish Catholics by their English rulers. By that time Sarsfield and thousands of his followers had honored their end of the deal and left Ireland and were fighting for France.

You may wonder why the people of Limerick would hold the Stone in such high regard when its associated with such infamy, but Sarsfield signed the Treaty and he's still a hero here, especially in Limerick. The thought of selling such a piece of Limerick's and Ireland's history is too fantastic to entertain.

{By the way, Sarsfield is a direct ancestor of the Union Army's General Michael Corcoran, who was court-martialed for refusing to lead the NY 69th out to honor the Prince of Wales during a pre-Civil War visit by Queen Victoria's son.}

So from where did this supposed idea to sell the Treaty Stone to a casino in Atlantic City come?

Well, it looks like it's a spoof. Earlier this month someone set up a Facebook page advocating that the Treaty Stone be saved. Nearly 1,700 people have joined the campaign since then.

The Facebook campaign contends that an Atlantic City "casino/Bar" has made "a significant offer" for the Stone and that Limerick City Council "is poised to sell the stone" to raise money. The Leader says there's no substance to the story, which is just as well because I really can't believe anyone in America would be all that interested.

Now, maybe, just maybe, if the people of Blarney were a bit hard up the story might be different. I'm sure someone in Atlantic City or even Vegas would be willing to buy the Blarney Stone, Blarney Castle (photo), the whole shebang and ship it over brick by brick, a la London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, AZ.

Maybe I should start the "Save the Blarney Stone" Facebook page.