Bunratty Castle & Folk Park

Bunratty Castle • Clare

If the 14th century was a time of violence and despair in Ireland, the 17th century must have felt apocalyptic at times. The Irish Confederacy Wars that began with a great rebellion in Ulster in 1641 had spread throughout the country. The Irish Confederates consisted of powerful Catholic aristocrats, clergy and military leaders who wanted an end to anti-Catholic discrimination and larger self-governance for Ireland. This was at a deeply unsettled time that became known as the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, that encompassed Ireland, Scotland and England. At its heart it was a sectarian conflict and a power struggle, that included the English Civil War and the execution of King Charles I of England.

Barnaby Uí Briain, the 6th Earl of Thomond, was resident at Bunratty Castle at the beginning of this conflict. At the time the castle was described by Papal Nuncio Rinucinni as:

Barnaby had continued the family policy of loyalty to the English crown and parliament. His lands were planted with English and Dutch protestant tenants. However he tried to remain broadly neutral when the Confederacy Wars began, and as many of his O’Brien relatives had enthusiastically joined the rebellion, Bunratty was left alone to begin with. However by 1646, his cousin Murrough O’Brien (the feared Lord Inchiquin who carried out the massacre on the Rock of Cashel), encouraged Barnaby to surrender Bunratty Castle to English parliamentary forces. The Confederates sent a large force to lay siege, and captured Bunratty on the 13th July 1646.

Bunratty Castle took on a new aspect in the 18th century. By 1725 the Studdert family had possession, and left their mark by building a multi-storey house that adjoins the northern face of the castle. They also added a police station onto the western side of the tower. The castle was utilised as a RIC Barracks in the 19th century, leading to it being burned by the IRA during the War of Independence.

Since the 19th century there had been attempts to conserve and repair the historic building, before it was finally given to the care of the Board of Public Works in 1915. In 1954 the castle was purchased by Lord Gort, and with the advice of John Hunt and the Board of Works architect Percy Le Clerc, he set about restoring the castle, with the expenses divided between Gort, Bord Fáilte and the Board of Works. Lord Gort wanted to restore the medieval aspect of the castle, and he had the Studdert home and the police barracks demolished and removed, while adding fireplaces and furniture to give it a more medieval feel. The castle has been a visitor attraction since 1960, and today it is one of our most visited sites.

Despite some of the later alterations, it is still possible to get a feel for what it may have been like during its medieval heyday. There are many features to discover as you tour around the castle, with spiral stairs, garderobes (medieval toilets), fine windows and traces of the plasterwork added by Barnaby O’Brien. One of Bunratty Castles most interesting features is the sheela-na-gig. Due to its relatively small size she is quite easy to miss, but you will find her in the great hall in the recess for the south window. It was moved here during the restoration works in the 1950s, from its original position from a window in the top room of the south-western tower.

Bunratty Castle Folk Park (which was developed with the help of Kevin Danaher from the Irish Folklore Commission) was opened by President Erskine Childers in 1964. Initially it consisted of two small farmhouses, a fisherman’s hut, and a forge, but over the years more buildings have been added, including MacNamara’s Pub, Ardcroney Church, and Hazelbrook House. There are now 30 buildings, offering an immersive experience into Ireland’s past.