Ireland, Part 7; County Clare: Bunratty, Ennis
- Apr 4, 2015
- 2 min read
Today we were staying in County Clare which is close to our house in Ennis. Bunratty Castle & Folk Park was the primary destination of the day. I was giddy about this destination because it seemed similar to one of my favorite places in Ohio which is Hale Farm & Village. Even long before we had Ethan, this was a place Jamie had to take me at least once each year. When Jamie did not get embarrassed by my excitement over chatting it up with the character actors in the Village who pretend they don't know anything about modern era things, I knew he was perfect for me. I get such a kick out of people who are so passionate about a particular era or place that they dress in costumes and act like they live in that world all for the entertainment of equally nerdy spectators.
Bunratty had the old castle and the village, but we did not encounter any actors when we were there, or they were on break--who knows? Even though we did not have characters to goof on, there were pubs in the folk park-- so we walked through an old village, saw an old church, a mill, Ethan chased some chickens and then we grabbed Irish coffee without leaving the premises. Perfect!
We also visited Dromoland Castle that day. Dromoland is not a theme park; it is a high-end hotel where you have to dress for dinner and behave. The grounds (and the pictures we saw of the inside) were beautiful. We immediately knew we were out of place when we rolled into the parking lot in our beat-up, white Renault diesel and parked it among the Mercedes, BMWs and other high-priced cars. We walked the beautiful grounds and took pictures, then headed back to the cottage in Ennis. The fireplace with peat logs and the hot tub were calling us. :)
Comments