Ireland - Bunratty Castle

I read about Bunratty Castle before leaving home, and it sounded like a fun, educational place to visit.  We drove there after leaving Kanturk thinking that we needed to see just one more castle to ensure the children had enough castle schooling.  We could see the enormous structure from the motorway, and I started getting excited, but as we drove into the attraction area I started getting worried—it appeared that we were approaching an enterprise that could have been the love child of Carowinds and the Renaissance Festival.  My fears melted away as it turned out to be an affordable and well-run interpretive village that happens to have a big honkin’ castle from the thirteenth century presiding over the whole thing.  We loved it.  We spent the morning touring the castle with its narrow, winding stairs that led to all kinds of chambers and overlooks.  We saw centuries-old tapestries from France and Belgium and sixteenth-century cupboards and tables rounded and worn smooth with age.  Construction on the castle began around 1250, and it had taken its present form by 1450.  There has been a good bit of restoration performed on the castle, so it looks much like it would have five-hundred years ago—the outline of the original moat can still be seen from the top of the main tower.  After our self-guided tour, we went back out to the carpark to have a picnic in the shade of an old oak tree.  We were able to return to the park by just showing the brochure we received upon admission.

We spent the afternoon lazily wandering the paths of the village adjacent to the castle.  The willows and beeches rustled with a fresh breeze that carried the campfire scent of peat burning in the chimneys of the restored houses.  There were chickens roaming free, pigs grunting and rooting in their pens, and goats and mules munching dandelions.  Deena enjoyed seeing the thatched roofs on the homes, while Deveny had fun exploring the fairy village with its colorful little houses perched in the trees.  We sat for a while in the old church and found some nineteenth-century graffiti expertly carved into our pew.  Our visit to the old mill turned out to be the highlight of the afternoon.  The docent there was an elderly gentleman who could barely walk around but was bursting with lore about the mill—delivered with charm and sly wit.  He told us all about the operation of the mill and how the villagers worked together to keep it running for the benefit of the community.  We were hypnotized by his eager lilt, and once he saw he had a captive audience, he quickly had us laughing with a few Paddy and Mary jokes—that’s a thing here in Ireland.

Bunratty Castle

We left Bunratty in good spirits, feeling as if we learned a lot while having fun in the process—always the best combination with children.  We arrived in Ennistimon in less than an hour and quickly found our apartment.  Quite a switch from the Kanturk farmhouse, but it was nicely located right off the main square just across the street from the library.  With a large main area and two separate bedrooms, we had plenty of room to spread out and relax; Deveny quickly claimed the smaller bedroom relegating Joseph to the futon in the living room.  

Wonder of wonders, there was a Supervalu grocery store right up the street, so we took a quick walk over and purchased supplies for the next couple of days.  After supper, Deena sat me down in the middle of the kitchen and gave me the first of many on-the-road haircuts with the crispy new, dual-voltage Conair clippers.  For thirteen years I’ve never let anyone other than the wonderful Darlene from Top-Notch Salon in Matthews cut my hair, but she had helped touch up our first practice attempt and gave Deena some tips for the next time.  Deena did a great job, and I’m typing this post with a smooth new cut.  Hopefully one of the many ways we’ll be saving money during the trip —we just need to somehow coerce Joseph into letting Mom cut his hair.