12 May Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, County Clare
Close to Limerick, Bunratty Castle and Folk Park are worth a visit on any tours of Ireland.
The castle dates from around 1450 and was a stronghold for the O’Briens, who were Earls of Thomond (Munster) in the 16th and 17th centuries.
There is an impressive collection of 15th and 16th century furnishings.
Bunratty stages Medieval Banquets for tourists.
The Folk Park is the real hidden gem though.
It contains more than 20 rural houses as they would have been in the late 19th Century.
There is a village street with a pawnbroker, pub, drapers, grocery, post office, and more.
There is a limestone cottage, and a whitewashed mountain farmhouse, amongst the other buildings.
Fires are lit and the smell of peat fills the air.
It is a real walk in history.
At Ireland and Scotland Luxury Tours we use Dromoland Castle as a base for our clients exploring this part of Ireland.