Wild Atlantic Way | Castles in Ireland | Bunratty Castle and Folk Park

Visit Bunratty Castle and Folk Park along Irelands Wild Atlantic Way

The Wild Atlantic way is a 2,500 kilometer drive along the the west coast of Ireland. This will be Ireland's first long-distance driving route, stretching from the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal to Kinsale in Cork. The course has been specifically chosen to allow visitors to discover all the highlights of the west of Ireland's dramatic coastline, with 156 discovery points for tourists along the way.

Bunratty castle built in 1425, was restored in 1954 to its former Medieval splendour and houses the Bunratty Collection, 450 pieces of Medieval furniture and artifacts. At nighttime, the castle is the impressive setting for its popular Medieval banquets, held year round.

Today, the castle stands peacefully in delightful grounds. Within the grounds is the folk park, where 19th Century life is vividly recreated. Set on 26 acres, the impressive park features over 30 buildings, including a schoolhouse, post office and doctor's house in a living village setting. Bunratty Folk Park also includes Ardcroney Church, a former Church of Ireland building which was painstakingly moved, stone by stone, from County Tipperary, to Bunratty.

Another reconstructed feature is Hazelbrook House, (rebuilt in the folk park in 2001) which was the family home of the Hughes Brothers. They produced HB ice cream, which became an Irish household name and visitors to Hazelbrook House will learn about ice cream making, from farm dairy to the modern day production plant.

During the summer months, meet folk park characters such as the 'Bean An Tí' (woman of the house), schoolteacher and policeman as they go about their daily lives. As the Bean An Tí is often found baking brown bread, porter cake, apple tart and griddle bread, you may be able to sample some delicious home baking.