Bunratty Castle

It was my first time south of Galway City and I was quite proud of myself to have made it this far. I would be traveling even further south but for now, I will be exploring the village of Bunratty including its famed castle. Bunratty is a prominent structure off the motorway and it is a major tourist attraction having a lot of tourist buses outside. I arrived early enough to dodge most of them though. Bunratty Castle doesn’t look like the fairy tale castles which I used to imagine. I have come to expect Irish castles to be solid blocks of stone, largely featureless apart from the top. Bunratty Castle follow this template of castles and it seems to be very well maintained. Unsurprising, since it is a major tourist attraction.

Bunratty Castle was built in the year 1425. Although it looks very good right now, it underwent renovation to look the way it is now. Old as the Bunratty Castle is, it is not the first structure to stand in the area. In fact, it is the fourth castle to be erected here. The previous structures were built by the English and were subsequently captured and destroyed. This was a period of fierce war between the Irish and the invading English. The location of Bunratty was critical since the town of Limerick, an important port for the English, was nearby. It was captured and fell, the castle changed hands several times over the centuries until it was purchased by Viscount Gort, who restored it.

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