[Excuse the delay in the Ireland postings. I had was knocked down by a bout of vertigo, not uncommon, I guess, but who knew? I know better now and am getting back on my feet, though slowly.]It was a lovely drive from Killarney to Bunratty, nice wide roads, not too many roundabouts. Our fair weather held for the rest of our visit. A lot of Kerry is semi tropical because of the Gulf Stream. Palms, rhododendrons, azaleas and other tropical plants brought by English Victorians "trying to turn Ireland into England", as my sister said. These plants flourish because of the mild wet climate and some are considered invasive today.
Bunratty (meaning "mouth of the Ratty" river) is a picturesque town in County Clare and is known for it's castle built in 1452. The castle is thought to stand on the site of a Viking town (c.977 A.D.) and an earlier fortress, about 1250 A.D. It was sacked and rebuilt a number of times until 1558, and the essential structure from that time remains. It was handed down, sold and eventually used as a barracks until the roof of the main hall collapsed due to disrepair in the late 1900s. In 1956, the castle was purchased and restored by the new owner, a Viscount, with assistance from the Office of Public Works. He re-roofed the castle and saved it from ruin. The castle was opened to the public in 1960, sporting furniture, tapestries and works of art dating to around 1600. We really enjoyed climbing down to the dungeon, up to the towers, through the family rooms, etc. We were cheered to find these two fierce ladies in the collection. This image also shows our hotel (The Bunratty Castle Hotel, what else?).
The houses, barns, farm yards, church and shops are representative of Irish life in the 1800s. We loved looking inside, where they were making traditional soda bread on a griddle, looking at all the homely* items in kitchens and family rooms. Look at the upstairs bedrooms reached by ladders. Notice the big pile of peat in a corner basket for the fires inside. Now that is an amazing fuel. * Yes, I meant to write 'homely', not 'homey'. I loved that phrase in The Hobbit, The Last Homely House or Rivendell, Elrond's house.
It's the second meaning in the dictionary:
2 Brit. (of a place or surroundings) simple but cozy and comfortable, as in one's own home: a modern hotel with a homely atmosphere.
• unsophisticated and unpretentious: homely pleasures.
The lovely old caravans in the folk park were a treat for me. They brought back a couple of great memories, the first being The Famous Five book series I read so avidly as a preteen in London. Author Enid Blyton's Five, four cousins and a dog, and especially Georgina "George" (a total tomboy) were my heroes and their adventures, some involving gypsies and caravans were spellbinding. I am not sure how the postwar Five would hold up with kids today with no cell phones, being allowed to go on holiday by themselves, etc., but that was certainly the life I wanted in 1958!
Irish Travellers or in Irish an Lucht Siúil, meaning literally "the walking people" have a complicated history, mostly as marginalized and despised outsiders, though they were known in Ireland as far back as the 13th century. One of my all time favorite movies is Into The West with Gabriel Byrne and Ellen Barkin about a Traveller family. Suitable for kids over age 10, I think. Try it!
Our last treat in Bunratty was a wonderful dinner at the Folk Park: lamb stew for Barbara and salmon for me. The potatoes were spectacular, as they usually are here. The show was included, a little on the touristy side, but fun nonetheless. Music, singing and dancing.
