Shamrock, Texas

Travel Blog  •  Ben Keene  •  03.17.06 | 9:59 AM ET

Population: 1,821 (2004 est.) 
Coordinates: 35 13 N 100 15 W
imageSome good news for those wishing to improve their persuasive patter: Trekking all the way to an Irish castle in County Cork is no longer necessary. The town of Shamrock, Texas (also notable for its yearly Donegal Beard Competition) proudly displays a fragment of the Blarney Stone in Elmore Park. Located just across the Oklahoma state line along historic Route 66, Shamrock has seen fewer visitors since “The Mother Road” was decommissioned, yet continues to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with three days of events. The origin of the town’s name, by the way, is attributed to George Nickel, an Irish sheep rancher who traded rainy hills and dales for the drier Texas panhandle and applied to open a post office near the present community in 1890.

—.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) is the editor of the Oxford Atlas of the World.