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Bunratty Folk Park
Bunratty Folk Park, recreates rural and urban life in 19th century Victorian Ireland. There is an extensive array of vernacular buildings; indicative of all of the social strata from the poorest one roomed dwelling to Bunratty House, a fine example of a Georgian residence for the gentry. Traditional jobs and crafts are also represented, milling, the forge, pottery, printing, baking, farming etc.
Costumed characters that recreate the traditions and lifestyle of a bygone age animate the Folk Park. The characters include the Bean a Ti (woman of the house), R.I.C. policeman, Schoolteacher, Blacksmith and so on.
The latest addition to Bunratty Folk Park includes Hazelbrook House (rebuilt in the Folk Park in 2001). The original building was built in 1898, and was home to the Hughes brothers who produced HB ice cream, which became a household name in Ireland.
The restoration of Bunratty Walled garden was completed in 2000. Ardcroney Church, another original building, was unveiled here to the public in 1998.
There are 10 farmhouses in the Folk Park together with the schoolhouse, Doctor’s house and the various merchant buildings and shops on the Village Street. Each exhibit is numbered and described as they appear on the Bunratty Folk Park Visitor Map which is issued free to you
BUNRATTY FOLK PARK FEATURES:
1. Loop Head Farmhouse – The house of small fisher –farming folk. The thatch is roped down to protect it against the Atlantic Gales. Bean a Ti is baking bread, milk separating and butter making in high season. A traditional sweetbread known as ‘spotted dick’ is baked here and is very popular.
Don’t miss Kitty’s ‘spotted dick’ if there’s any left!
2. Shannon Farmhouse - The first farmhouse to be reconstructed on the site and which marked the beginning of the development of Bunratty Folk Park. The house was removed from where it originally stood on the site of a runway at Shannon Airport.
3. Golden Vale – A prosperous farmers home, from the rich lands in the Golden Vale of counties Limerick and Tipperary. It has stables, byres and a corn barn. Bean a Ti's here bake brown bread, porter cake, apple tart, and griddle bread all year round. Slices of hot griddle bread with melting butter are a great favorite in this house.
4. Mac’s Pub – Be sure and drop into Mac’s for a pint! The pub is furnished to reflect the lifestyle of the time and the fact that the publican not only sold drink in former times but also traded in groceries and hardware.
5. Bunratty House – A late Georgian dwelling (built 1804) of the type occupied by the gentry in the late 19th century. It was the home of the Studdarts, the last family to occupy Bunratty Castle.
6. Byre Dwelling – An example from Co. Mayo of a dwelling occupied by both a family and their livestock. The pigsty is located nearby.
7. Vertical Mill – It is a classic example of a rural undershot watermill.
8. Ardcroney Church – Another recent addition to the Folk Park. A Church of Ireland church: the entire structure was moved stone by stone from Ardcroney, Co. Tipperary and rebuilt here.
9. Living Gardens Museum – The gardens at Bunratty Folk Park have recently been restored with the assistance of an ERDF grant through the Great Gardens of Ireland Restoration programme. The project includes the environs of the Folk Park as well as the formal walled Regency Garden adjacent to Bunratty house. Each of the gardens, plots of the vernacular dwellings in the Folk Park have also been restored, with special attention to the planting and land use of the period. The concept creates a product, which is unique in Ireland and the rest of Europe. Its uniqueness is in the fact that the gardens and environs form part of the history of the everyday lives of the inhabitants of the houses as well as depicting our horticultural heritage.
10. The Village Street - The village houses and shops have been chosen from many different areas, to form a collection of typical of 19th century urban Irish buildings.
Opening Times:
Sept. - May: 9:30am - 5:30pm
June – August: 9am – 6pm
Last Admission to the Castle: 4pm
Last Admission to the Folk Park 4.45pm
Times may be subject to change.
Location:
Located just off the main dual carriageway between Shannon and Limerick. Route N18.
Distance in kilometers from:
Shannon Airport 10 | Limerick City 13 | Ennis 24 | Galway 84 | Killarney 118 | Cork 113 | Tralee 142 | Dublin 206
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