Bunratty Castle & Folk Park — Attraction in County Clare

Bunratty is a family friendly park with one main entrance so children are reasonably safe to wander within a respectable or comfortable distance of the parents depending, of course, on age, ability, and your own comfort level.

Paths are a mix of loose stone, tar and softer ground in places, most areas are accessible for strollers however the Castle itself would not be appropriate. The main paths of the park are also suitable for wheelchair users, however like strollers the Castle area would be very restricted and I would have a concern over some of the narrow doors in the cottages for wheelchairs or double buggies.

The Castle unit is self contained in a singular building, once you enter the park, turn left. Last entry to the Castle itself is 16:00 so if you are arriving later in the afternoon I suggest heading here first. There is a set of wooden steps leading up to the building and once inside be prepared for plenty of narrow, stone staircases. When you enter you can go straight to the main hall where the banquets are held, or, you can proceed to the right and up to the next level. Please follow the signs with directions showing which flight of stairs is for ascending and which is for descending as the stairs are quite narrow and it is difficult to pass each other in places. Keep an eye out for all the little side rooms off of the stairs as each has something unique to see in it's own way. If your legs are able, proceed to the top of the towers as the views of the river estuary and surrounding countryside, on a dry day, are quite lovely.

Lighting is quite low within the Castle, while it adds to the atmosphere it is also to help protect the artefacts, so if you are visually impaired please use the handrails on the staircases, they are in the form of a slim metal tubing, and if possible do not go through the Castle unassisted. If it is particularly busy you may appreciate your accompanying party to guide you, I found this more so on the way out. For photographers, you are permitted to take pictures within the Castle however you are not permitted to use a flash so please check your camera settings prior to visiting.

Outside there are many styles of typical rural Irish dwellings available on display ranging from the small one room house to the "Big House". The smell of turf fires pungent in the air and on a heavy day the smoke hangs low in the air. If you happen to be blessed with tall genes please mind your head as your meander your way through the cottages, they are styled to match the stature of previous generations.

Should you be lucky to arrive on time to the Rose coloured house near the Tea Room you may just catch the Bean an Tí making fresh scones or soda bread. If not there are Tea Rooms around the corner and a pub in the village further on that serve limited menus. Likewise there is another coffee shop at the entrance/exit of the park.

The main park offers a fairy trail towards the rear left for children to follow and see what they can find, and there is a smattering of animals throughout, including Irish Wolfhounds. Towards the rear are some beautiful walled gardens, these are particularly attractive in the summer as they are full of bees and butterflies. You can chose the shorter or longer walking trail from here and if you have the time and the weather I recommend the longer as it brings you by two old style Mills and a stream. Finally you will wind back up by the village and a recently installed playground which will help burn off even more energy for children of they are not already exhausted.

The park itself closes at 17:30 ideally so that you are not rushing through the place I would suggest that you allow at least 3.5 hours if just adults and more if you have children because they will take longer to walk around and no doubt will want to see the various animals and the playground at the end. Before you leave there is a gift shop that sells a variety of products from wollen jumpers, scarves, ceramics, perfumes, jewellery and some...

Extremely Disappointed. Having visited this attraction 3 times before. I jumped at the chance to take my mum. What a disappointing day. The attraction is not exactly cheap at €16.95 for Adult entrance. We paid and were handed a mapWe visited the blacksmith first as we aimed for the castle. The young man inside was very polite and gave us information. Then we headed to the castle. As my mum finds it hard to walk (76) we were met with a man ( former Mancunian) dressed in period clothing. He was fantastic, assuring my mum she would be ok walking up, and she could rest half way, we went up looked around then came down, nice place. Then the experience went down hill. We slowly strolled to the ,"tea rooms" the selection of food was only over priced ready packed sandwiches,( the sign says made fresh Dailey , mmm doubt that)we chose the cheese option. . The date on the food was eat by, yep today the day we went. It was already hard bread. Then we walked to school street. Well another disappointment. As I recall both sides of the school building open. This time sadly not. With strings hanging of the wall where old teaching aids were once hung. Disappointing. Then walked outside to see the period dressed school master and the period dressed police man sat chatting. Not engaging with passing people. And blasting away a few buildings up a beat box. Yes a 2020 technology beatbox throwing current modern music out. While a man dressed in bright clothes, looking out of place was making balloon animals. . We then decided to head to the big main house (bunratty house) and courtyard ( attraction number 15), as I had been before and the gardens and courtyard ( attraction 16) were very interesting last time. Well my mum didn't want to do the long walk but I assured her it would be worth it. Wrong... after the long walk, through the run down gardens. The building at the top was drab, we then walked passed the courtyard (attraction 16), which was closed, and looked like it was closed a while as weeds were growing through the cobbles. Onward we walked up the steep concrete embankment to the rear of the big house( attraction 15). As another couple passed us angry..?? ... it was closed by... all that way (attraction 15) closed. So we decided to leave. We walked towards the exit via the deer enclosure. The inner steel safety cable is damaged and coiled up in the field. We entered attraction 14. Hazel brook house. The room at the back being the most dangerous, as it said fire escape. But the gate was locked and the firedoor locked closed. .. that was the last item I wished to visit. We then exited the park, via a door marked no exit, as the exit door was closed. I slowly entered and asked is this the way out ? , to have this confirmed and then. I walked up to the entry desk to ask for an email address to complain. The young man , though polite. Did nothing to stop this feedback from being typed. So in summery. Management need to actually walk around and see the drab and poor condition elements of your park are falling into. Also advise people of what attractions are closed. As this park is called bunratty castle and bunratty house...

This was so fun! The village experience overlaps a bit with visiting the Muckross Farm in Killarney, so I wouldn't really recommend doing both. That being said, we brought our 6 year old and had a fantastic time. 2.5 hours wasn't enough to see the castle and the village/town! The blacksmith was wonderful, telling stories and teasing the kids, let them try out the new bellows, too. Highlight of the village for me.

The castle is An Experience: if you're visiting other castle ruins or ones that have been renovated by their previous Victorian owners, then I would definitely recommend visiting this one to get a sense of what they used to be like! Navigating the spiral staircases is a bit of a nightmare, not really to modern safety standards and you have to use the same case to go up into the towers and back down. It's a disaster when a tour group all descends at the same time and you have to fight against them to go up or down.

There's one fancy finished bedroom per tower, and a second finished room. Worth the climb just to see the sumptuous ancient furnishings!! Museum quality, in situ. My son absolutely loved the historic toilets built-in to the castle itself, he found the whole idea hilarious. I loved all of the carved dowry chests -- the one in the great hall is original to the castle itself!

Excellent experience, if you're bringing children, give yourself at least 3 hours, but I think you could easily do 4+ if this is your only living history stop in Ireland.

We stayed late for the feast at 5:30, I was expecting the experience to be cheesy and fun, but was surprised at how well done the performances were and how good the food was! My kid is a fairly picky eater, and he loved the carrot and parsnip soup, tolerated the less saucy ribs (a bit spicy for him, the adults loved them), and he ate the roasted chicken, potatoes, and carrots. That was a serious win because he NEVER eats cooked carrots, only the little baby ones, and he'll only touch a potato when it's a crisp / french fry. Couldn't believe he was willing to try everything. Perhaps the best part is that he's so credulous at this and, he was really worried that the "earl" for the evening really might throw someone into the dungeon. The staff played along and told him he best be good or else (maybe that's why he ate his dinner?). The after dinner show included Tell Me Ma and the Hills of Connemara done in a medieval a capella style, which was a hoot. It's a bit spendy, but we thought it was worth...