Viking Playground & Farm Animals

Farm Animals

An array of farm animals live at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, donkeys, sheep, deer, goats, ducks, and cows, amongst them. Ranging from our gentle old Falabella horse called “Frank”, the world’s smallest breed of horse, to our adopted rescue donkeys Millie & Tillie, right up to our Irish Red deer stag called Cormac, a direct descendant of the largest animal to ever roam Ireland. During the course of the year you will see cute and playful lambs, calves, kids, and piglets.

The animals and farming methods are representative of rural life on the west coast of Ireland during the 19^th and early 20^th century. The vegetable gardens and outhouses are also indicative of the time. The farmyard beside Bunratty House is home to the Talbot collection. The machines exhibited here were developed to satisfy fairly basic requirements of agriculture and when established, became essential tools for the agricultural community in which they were produced.  All examples are of hand operated and horse-drawn machines which were made for certain processes and tasks, now carried out by powered machines.  The collection is comprehensive in that it reflects the economic environment of both big farms and small, and tells something of the conditions of these farms.