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Bunratty (Bun Ráite) Castle and
Folk Park is a popular
tourist destination. The earliest known history of the site was when
the
Vikings set up a trading post on the site in 950 and the first castle
was built
by a Norman in the 13th century. Its strategic position on the river
Shannon
made it the centre of many a battle, and it has it has been destroyed
and
re-built on at least eight occasions. Today we can enjoy the Castle
built in
1425 by the MacNamara Clan. The style is called Irish tower house.
Americans
might be interested that Admiral Penn, father of William Penn, resided
here for
a short time. It fell into ruin, and in 1954 Lord Gort bought the
castle and
with the help of Bord Fáilte restored it to its present
condition.
The Folk Park, situated on 26 acres,
is a living museum
intended to show what village life was like in Ireland at the turn of
the
century. It contains farmhouses, cottages, and shops with great
attention to
authentic detail. The Park is a living museum: animals are tended,
bread is
baked, milk is churned, walls are whitewashed and roofs are thatched.
You may
visit an Irish farmhouse, watch the blacksmith fit a horseshoe, attend
a
weaving demonstration, and bake and eat scones at the local tea house.
There
are several options for eating and drinking within the Folk Park.
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