- Type
- Castle
- Built
- 15th century
- Style
- Norman architecture
- Coordinates
- 52.6967°, -8.8118°
History
From the mid-13th century the Normans raised strongholds on the Ratty river near its mouth on the Shannon, among them Thomas de Clare, who was granted the land in 1276 and built the first stone castle here. After the de Clares' defeat in 1318 and the burning of the castle the site lay deserted. The present castle was begun in the 15th century by the MacNamara clan and completed by Sean Finn MacNamara, who died in 1467; around 1500 it passed to the O'Briens, later earls of Thomond, who made it their chief seat. In 1646 a Parliamentarian garrison holding the castle surrendered to the Irish Confederate forces after a long siege. In the 19th century it served for a time as a police barracks and fell into ruin, until Viscount Gort bought it in the mid-1950s, restored it and opened it to visitors in 1960.
What to see
The rectangular tower house with four corner towers contains the Great Hall, a chapel and the earls' chambers, furnished with 15th–17th-century furniture, tapestries and works of art from Lord Gort's collection. Narrow spiral stairs climb to the roof, with views over the Shannon estuary. Medieval banquets are held in the evenings, and next to the castle is Bunratty Folk Park, a recreated 19th-century village.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q599132
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