Bed and Breakfasts in Bunratty, County Clare

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Bunratty, County Clare

Bunratty Castle

It is difficult to imagine, looking at the quiet little village of Bunratty, that under that village, and the surrounding fields, roads and houses, lie buried the remains of a once expanding prosperous town, centuries of settlement, battles, deeds and tales. Of the glory of those long past days, what remains is Bunratty Castle, one of the most spectacular tower houses still standing in Ireland, built in 1425 and was authentically restored in 1954. The castle has had a dramatic and vibrant history. Its strategic position on the river Shannon always attracted interest and envy from neighbouring rivals. It changed hands many times, usually violently during the periods of friction between the native Irish of Thomond and the Norman and Norman-Irish intruders. The castle has been destroyed and ruined at least eight or nine times and it has seen many bloody murders.

Today, however, there is little evidence of all this bloody past . The castle stands peacefully in delightful grounds, the houses and cottages of Bunratty Folk Park spread out at the foot of its massive walls, much in the way that cottages and crofts of old would have clustered around its base. The modern visitor to Bunratty Castle, once the residence of the O'Briens of Thomond, approaches along a section of ancient paved road, across the remains of a moat which once surrounded the castle, and through a door in the 'bawn' wall into the courtyard, before mounting steps to a drawbridge.

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Bunratty Bed and Breakfast Accommodation, B&B's in County Clare.