A CAMPAIGN has been launched to repatriate the remains of Patrick Sarsfield, who negotiated the treaty of Limerick in 1691, back to the city.
It is hoped the remains of the military leader will returned to Limerick next year to help mark the 330th anniversary of the historic treaty.
Sarsfield led the Jacobite troops against the Williamite army at the famous siege of Limerick in the wars of 1690 and 1691 at the city's King John’s Castle.
He negotiated the famous treaty of Limerick, which led to around 10,000 Jacobite soldiers and their families exiled to France along with Sarsfield, an exodus that became known as the Flight of the Wild Geese.
Sarsfield went on to fight for France in wars against the British and later became a decorated and highly regarded French military officer.
While the campaign by the Wild Geese Festival committee in Limerick aims to celebrate the city's association with Sarsfield and bring his remains to Limerick, there is no confirmation of where he is buried.
Records indicate Sarsfield was buried in the grounds of St Martin's Church in Huy in Belgium after he was injured in the battle of Landers in 1693.
However, only the original wall of the church remains with no confirmation that Sarsfield is buried at the site.
Dr Loïc Guyon, French Honorary Consul in Limerick, told RTÉ: "2021 marks the 330th anniversary of the siege of Limerick and the project to bring Patrick Sarsfield home is timely in that regard.
"He was an important figure in Irish and French history but he died in a country not of his choosing. It is an ambitious project but we believe an important one."
