Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
Bunratty Castle is the most complete and authentic medieval castle in Ireland, completed in 1425 on ground that was a Viking trading camp in 970. A folk park of 30 buildings recreating 19th century village life stands around it.
- Current castle completed
- 1425AD
- Original site
- A Viking trading camp from 970
- Castles built here
- Four, the present structure being the last
- Status
- The most complete and authentic medieval castle in Ireland
- Folk park
- 30 buildings, including a Georgian house built 1804
- County
- County Clare
Four castles on one piece of ground
The site was a Viking fortress and trading post from around 900AD until Brian Boru drove the Vikings out in 970. The first Norman castle went up in 1251 and was razed by the O'Brien clan in 1284. A rebuild in 1287 fell in 1318, an English third castle followed in 1353, and the fourth and current castle was built by the McNamaras in 1425.
Why anyone wanted it
Bunratty guarded the entry to the River Shannon, which is the whole reason four armies kept building on the same spot. As Limerick grew into an important port in the 14th century, that position mattered more. By the 1500s the castle was held by the O'Brien clan, then the most powerful family in Munster, who later took the title Earls of Thomond.
The siege that touched Pennsylvania
During the Confederate War of 1641 to 1653, Bunratty was held by Roundhead Rear-Admiral Penn, father of William Penn, who went on to found Pennsylvania. Holding the castle meant blockading maritime access between Limerick port and the Shannon. The Irish Confederates took it after a long siege, spared Penn and let him sail for Kinsale and on to the American colonies.
The Folk Park
The park is a working village of 30 buildings, from a Georgian house of 1804 down to a one room dwelling that shows how the poorest lived. Village Street is the centre of it, lined with a school, a doctor's house, a pawnbrokers, a pub, a drapery, a printworks, a grocery, a hardware shop, a pottery and a post office. Costumed characters including the schoolteacher, policeman and village doctor work the street, and traditional music carries across the site.
Seeing it on a Wild Rover tour
Bunratty sits on the road west to the Cliffs of Moher, so the Cliffs routes from Dublin pass the castle on the way. None of them list a stop there. If you want to go inside the castle or walk the folk park, treat it as a separate visit rather than something a Cliffs day tour will cover.
Tours that visit Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
Cliffs of Moher, Ennis and Limerick city day tour from Dublin
A single day from Dublin to the west coast. You get two hours at the Cliffs of Moher with visitor centre entry, a short guided walk in Ennis, and an hour and a half in medieval Limerick, with a short guided walking tour option included.
- Cliffs of Moher
- Atlantic Edge Visitor Centre
- Ennis
- Limerick city
Cliffs of Moher, the Burren and Galway city day tour from Dublin
A full day from Dublin to Ireland's west coast. Two hours at the Cliffs of Moher with visitor centre entry included, a drive through the Burren along the Wild Atlantic Way, then two hours in Galway city.
- Cliffs of Moher
- The Burren
- Wild Atlantic Way
- Galway city
Private tour to the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren and Galway
A private day on the west coast, from Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren and Galway city. You travel with your own guide in a luxury vehicle, and the itinerary below is a sample you can change.
- Cliffs of Moher
- The Burren
- Galway city
- Wild Atlantic Way
