Bunratty Castle and FolK Village was another wonderful family friendly, open air museum. Located in County Clare but only a short drive from the city of Limerick, Bunratty Castle and Folk Village allows visitors to walk through time with the incredibly preserved castle and the recreated folk village, containing buildings and farmhouses from Ireland’s last century.
The version of Bunratty Castle that stands today was built around 1425 by the powerful MacNamara family but by 1475 it had become the stronghold of the O’Briens, the largest clan in North Munster.
The castle was abandoned from 1804 to 1954 when it was then restored and opened to the public as a National Monument. Today, visitors are able to tour through the restored rooms of the castle and climb to the top of the towers.
Sprawling out from the castle grounds is the 26 acres of countyside that make up the Bunratty Folk Park. At the far end is Bunratty Manor, home to the Studdart family who abandoned the castle in 1804, in favour of living in the more comfortable Georgian manor house. The house has also been preserved and is open for visitors to wander through, including the lovely walled gardens.
The folk park contains examples of traditional Irish farmhouses from throughout the last century, from single room stone dwellings to the multiple room cottages, complete with whitewashed walls and thatched roofs. Many have been relocated and reconstruction from various parts of the County Clare and the Shannon region.
There is also the village street with relocated buildings including a school house, doctors house, shops and a pub, a church and a mill house. All of them are open and furnished with authentic pieces from that time so it really does feel like you’ve stepped back in time.
There are also staff that wander around in character or are stationed at particular building, answering any questions and doing short talks throughout the day. We made a point to say hello to Eoin, the carpenter in the castle courtyard, who, our friend Tina told us, has a huge following on TikTok, sharing his traditional skills live from Bunratty Castle.
The kids particularly loved the train ride, the playground with flying fox / zip line and spotting the various animals like pigs, baby goats, Irish Wolfhound Dogs and geese. Overall, it’s a great family day out where you can learn a lot about Ireland’s history and experience historic Irish architecture all in one location. Bunratty Castle is a popular tourist destination but I’d say its worth the visit, especially with kids.