Page 198 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Ireland

196  IRELAND REGION B Y REGION

e Bunratty Castle & Folk Park

This formidable castle was built in the 15th century
by the MacNamaras. Its most important residents
were the O’Briens, Earls of Thomond, who lived
here from the early 16th century until the 1640s.
The present interior looks much as it did under the
so-called “Great Earl”, who died in 1624. Abandoned
in the 19th century, the castle was derelict when
Lord Gort bought it in the 1950s, but it has been
beautifully restored to its original state.
The adjacent Folk Park reflects 19th-
century Irish rural and village life.
Bunratty is also famous for its
splendid medieval banquets.

. North Solar
This 17th-century German chandelier
is the most curious feature in the
Great Earl’s private apartments.
The term “solar” was used during
the Middle Ages to describe an
upper chamber.

Entrance

KEY
1 The basement with walls 3-m
(10-ft) thick, was probably used for
storage or as a stable.
2 The Murder Hole was designed
for pouring boiling water or pitch on
to the heads of attackers.
3 The chimney is a replica in wood
of the stone original. It provided a
vent for the smoke given off by the
fire in the centre of the Great Hall.
4 The Robing Room was where
the earls put on their gowns before
an audience in the Great Hall. They
also used it for private interviews. . Main Guard
Now used for medieval-style banquets, this was the room
5 A spiral staircase is found in
each of the four towers. where Bunratty’s soldiers ate, slept and relaxed. Music was
played to them from the Minstrels’ Gallery, and a gate in
one corner gave instant access to the dungeons.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp299–300 and pp316–18

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