Bunratty Castle (Caisleán Bhun Raite)
The most complete medieval castle in Ireland, with a living folk park.
Built in 1425 by the MacNamaras, Bunratty is the finest surviving tower house in the country, richly restored with medieval furnishings. Around it, the folk park recreates 19th-century Irish village and farm life.
At a glance
- Best-preserved medieval castle in Ireland
- Built 1425 by the MacNamaras
- Adjoining 19th-century folk park
In County Clare
Bunratty Castle is in County Clare, An Clár in Irish, which means “the plank / board (a plank bridge)”.
More in Clare
- The Cliffs of Moher (Aillte an Mhothair): Sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region.
- The Burren (Boireann): A vast, silvery limestone landscape in County Clare, where Arctic and Mediterranean flowers grow side by side.
- Loop Head (Ceann Léime): A dramatic headland and lighthouse at the mouth of the Shannon Estuary.
- Poulnabrone Dolmen (Poll na mBrón): A striking portal tomb standing on the limestone pavement of the Burren.
Other places of this kind
- Newgrange (Sí an Bhrú): A prehistoric monument in County Meath, older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids.
- The Giant's Causeway (Clochán an Aifir): Around 40,000 interlocking basalt columns on the Antrim coast, a UNESCO site wrapped in the legend of Finn McCool.
- Glendalough (Gleann Dá Loch): A beautiful glacial valley of two lakes, home to one of Ireland's most important early monastic settlements.
- The Rock of Cashel (Carraig Phádraig): A dramatic outcrop crowned with medieval buildings, once the seat of the kings of Munster.
- Clonmacnoise (Cluain Mhic Nóis): A great early monastery on the banks of the Shannon, once a renowned centre of learning.
- The Hill of Tara (Teamhair na Rí): The ancient inauguration site of the High Kings of Ireland, rich in myth and archaeology.
The Irish name
The Irish form of Bunratty Castle is Caisleán Bhun Raite. You can hear it spoken, and take apart names like it, in the Placename Explorer. The authoritative record for any Irish place-name is logainm.ie.