Travel Information

When traveling through Ireland, your best option is to rent a car at the car hire agencies found in all major airports. This allows you to visit historical sites that may be considered out of the way, but whose architectural features and cultural significance make it a “must-see” for every tourist. An example of this is Bunratty Castle. Bunratty Castle was restored in the 1950’s by Percy le Clerc. It was then decorated with Lord Gort's collection of medieval furniture and tapestries. This allows visitors to experience what the castle may have looked like in its heyday, when medieval lords and ladies dined in its halls. It is now one of Ireland's main tourist attractions and certainly worth the car trip. Bunratty Castle was constructed from 1450 to 1467 by the MacNamara or MacConmara family, who then passed it through marriage to the O'Briens. The site is quite impressive: four square towers, rising from each corner, linked by a broad arch rising to the top storey. Its entrance leads into an awe-inspiring great hall. Here, the Earls of Thomond held their great celebrations and issued their powerful decrees. Bunratty Castle’s three stories contain several rooms, and no less than 15 privvies.The fourth Earl remodelled the towers’ upper rooms and some of the vaulting still survives and is one of the earliest remaining examples of the use of brick. The plaster in the hall, chapel and south solar are the oldest stucco in Ireland. At one point in its history, the castle was considered one of the most beautiful in the country, and in 1646 Archbishop Rinuccini documented the glory of its ponds, gardens, interiors, and the 3,000 head of deer. Your car travel to Bunratty Castle will take you 8 miles west of Limerick on the airport road (T11). Since it is open daily you can schedule your car travel anytime during the year. To rent a car to take a car trip to Bunratty Castle, you can approach a carhire agency in any of Ireland’s airports or major cities.