Bunratty Castle
★★★★☆
Bunratty Castle is a large 15th-century tower house in County Clare and a National Monument of Ireland.
The present structure (the fourth built castle), was built by the MacNamara family after around 1425. At around 1500, Bunratty Castle came into the hands of the O'Briens, the most powerful clan in Munster and later Earls of Thomond. They expanded the site and eventually made it their chief seat, moving it there from Ennis.
Today, the castle is a major tourist attraction, along with "Bunratty Folk Park". Both the castle and Bunratty House are open to the public. The castle is famous for its medieval banquets, offered since 1963, at which the "Bunratty Castle Entertainers" perform today.
The present structure (the fourth built castle), was built by the MacNamara family after around 1425. At around 1500, Bunratty Castle came into the hands of the O'Briens, the most powerful clan in Munster and later Earls of Thomond. They expanded the site and eventually made it their chief seat, moving it there from Ennis.
Today, the castle is a major tourist attraction, along with "Bunratty Folk Park". Both the castle and Bunratty House are open to the public. The castle is famous for its medieval banquets, offered since 1963, at which the "Bunratty Castle Entertainers" perform today.