Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
Bunratty Castle and Folk Park: Hours, Address, Bunratty Castle and Folk Park Reviews: 4.5/5
Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
About
Bunratty Castle & Folk Park is a must on your itinerary to Ireland. This is your chance to experience a window on Ireland’s past and explore the acclaimed 15th century Bunratty Castle and the 19th century Bunratty Folk Park. Bunratty Castle Welcome to Bunratty Castle, the most complete and authentic medieval castle in Ireland. Built in 1425 it was restored in 1954 to its former medieval splendor and now contains mainly 15th and 16th century furnishings, tapestries, and works of art which capture the mood of those times. Bunratty Folk Park Enjoy the sights, sounds tastes, scents, of this enchanting place as you stroll from house to house or around the charming village street complete with school, post office, doctors house, hardware shop, printers and of course McNamara’s pub! meet the village characters, sample some freshly baked bread by our resident Bean an Ti's (woman of the house) and for little visitors explore of quaint fairy village and pirate adventure playground
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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from $17.97
All you need to step foot in the door.
Full view
Top ways to experience Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
The area
Best nearby
Restaurants
26 within 3 miles

Bunratty Medieval Feast
488
28 ft$$ - $$$ • Quick Bites • Irish • Vegetarian Friendly

Gallagher's of Bunratty
600
0.2 mi$$ - $$$ • Irish • Seafood • European

Noel's at The Manor
191
0.3 mi$$ - $$$ • Irish • European • Vegetarian Friendly

Traditional Irish Night-Cornbarn at Bunratty Folk Park
128
0.2 mi$$ - $$$ • Irish • Vegetarian Friendly • Vegan Options

Durty Nelly's
2,351
120 ft$$ - $$$ • Irish • Bar • Pub

JP Clarke's Country Pub
782
0.2 mi$$ - $$$ • Irish • Bar • European

The Creamery Bar and Restaurant
945
325 ft$$ - $$$ • Irish • Bar • European

MacNamara and Sons
50
48 ft$$ - $$$ • Irish • Bar • Pub
Kathleens Bar
4
0.1 miIrish

Mr. O'REGAN'S
4
0.3 mi$$ - $$$
Attractions
16 within 6 miles

Shannon Heritage
190
0.2 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks

Bunratty Winery
24
0.5 miWineries & Vineyards • Breweries

Mooghaun Hill Fort
12
0.6 miAncient Ruins

Atlantic Air Adventures
109
2.7 miSpeciality Museums

Ballycasey Craft and Design Centre
37
2.1 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks

Cratloe Woods
32
Parks
Sean Lemass Public Library
10
3 miLibraries

Shannon Swimming & Leisure Centre
17
2.8 miSports Complexes

Cratloe Woods House
2
Historic Sites • Architectural Buildings
RathlahineTrout Angling
1
Bodies of Water
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
4,421 reviews
Excellent
2,683
Very good
1,244
Average
328
Poor
99
Terrible
68
skigrl985
Denver, CO91 contributions
Sep 2019
There are different aspects of visiting Bunratty castle. Entrance will get you into both the castle and the Folk park.
Castle- tour the castle, up and down stairwells that will take you to different rooms that have been set with displays. Very interesting, and there is occasionally some info marked throughout the castle.
Folk Park- this is a really cool village that has been built to represent real villages. Each house has a different purpose (a regular home, a school, a tea shop, etc.) and many of them have actors inside. This village is really fun, don't skip it.
Castle Dinner- You can stay after the castle closes with a separate ticket for a dinner experience. Begin in the main hall with a cup of honey wine (forget the exact name) and musical entertainment as everyone gathers. The host of this whole night is funny, charming, and very interactive. Then you are led to the dining hall and seated at a long table with others. There are a few courses served throughout the night as the singers sing traditional songs and the host conducts a fun interactive night.
Castle- tour the castle, up and down stairwells that will take you to different rooms that have been set with displays. Very interesting, and there is occasionally some info marked throughout the castle.
Folk Park- this is a really cool village that has been built to represent real villages. Each house has a different purpose (a regular home, a school, a tea shop, etc.) and many of them have actors inside. This village is really fun, don't skip it.
Castle Dinner- You can stay after the castle closes with a separate ticket for a dinner experience. Begin in the main hall with a cup of honey wine (forget the exact name) and musical entertainment as everyone gathers. The host of this whole night is funny, charming, and very interactive. Then you are led to the dining hall and seated at a long table with others. There are a few courses served throughout the night as the singers sing traditional songs and the host conducts a fun interactive night.
Written February 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
eimferm
Fermanagh5 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
We visited Bunratty as a family group, 4 adults 3 children + 1 baby, it was a fantastic day out, every effort has been made for social distancing to be implemented and there are sanitising stations throughout. There's something for all the family and really is worth a visit. I would also highly recommend pre-ordering the picnic from Mr. O'Regan's cafe, it was delicious, all the food was fresh and presentation was fab.
Written July 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Claire21_13
Newry, UK18 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
We won 2 nights B&B at the Radisson Blu Hotel and Spa in Limerick through Bunratty Castle and Folk Park and we had a great time. The visit to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park was fantastic and the weather was excellent which made the trip even more enjoyable. Good measures in place with regard to COVID-19 to keep people safe and prebooking is essential. Staff friendly and helpful. Great picnic facilities also.
Written August 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Travel30WAW
Sligo, Ireland39 contributions
Sep 2021
I was really looking forward to this because I love castles but Im disappointed. There was a one way system in place in the castle due to covid, which is completely fine, but you actually didn't see many rooms at all. There was the banquet hall you walked through but most other rooms were sealed with barriers so you could not really look around and explore, unlike many other castles in the country. We went through it very quickly maybe 10-15 minutes so it was slightly disappointing.
Also we paid 28,50 euro for one adult & one student, which doesn't match the prices on the website at all...
The folk park is nicely made. There are a lot of old school looking houses and shops, it is a lovely area to stroll around. This I really enjoyed.
However, I did not like how the Irish Wolfhounds were held in a filed enclosure, while this was a big area and I know they need a lot of space, I think a field is for livestock not dogs. Especially, since the sign at the gate states that they love human interactions/companionship. Even if they were working dogs I dont think this is a nice circumstance to keep them in. Our working sheep dog is not held in a field. While they did not look neglected, they seemed depressed and sad and I honestly felt bad for them.
Also we paid 28,50 euro for one adult & one student, which doesn't match the prices on the website at all...
The folk park is nicely made. There are a lot of old school looking houses and shops, it is a lovely area to stroll around. This I really enjoyed.
However, I did not like how the Irish Wolfhounds were held in a filed enclosure, while this was a big area and I know they need a lot of space, I think a field is for livestock not dogs. Especially, since the sign at the gate states that they love human interactions/companionship. Even if they were working dogs I dont think this is a nice circumstance to keep them in. Our working sheep dog is not held in a field. While they did not look neglected, they seemed depressed and sad and I honestly felt bad for them.
Written September 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
niamh
Roscommon, Ireland1 contribution
Aug 2020
We have read about bunratty castle many times in history books in school, so we were excited to finally visit as a stop on the way home. We were very disappointed with the reception we received. We booked our tickets online which gave us the time slot of 2-5:30, which was our understanding we could turn up at any time during that slot, anthing to say otherwise was not stated anywhere on the website. We arrived before 4 oclock on our way home, with over an hour and a half to spend here. We were greeted by a rude lady who told us "you better hurry up to the castle". This confused us greatly as the place does not close until 5:30. On the way to the castle we met another man, who wasn't even in unifrom and told us to hurry up also before he locked up. We were beyond confused and felt very rushed. Once we reached the castle we met two workers dressed up who didn't even offer any historical information about the castle and just told us to go into the room.
We were very disappointed by the castle. We only saw five rooms which were very bare, no information provided about the castle in the rooms and the short guide we were given contained very little information.
Once outside the catsle, we enjoyed seeing three little cottages. we then wanted to get some food, but the Tea room was all locked up at quater past four when there was a sign outside the door clearly stating it didn't close until 5:30. There were still a lot of people walking around at 4 oclock but everything was closing, gates pulled across so we couldnt access half of the folk park with an hour and a half until closing. We were very disappointed to pay over 30 euro and didn't even get to see the majority of things available well before closing time. While I understand times are very different nowadays with CO-VID, there was no signs or information provided for the attractions we could not see. We left just over half an hour after we arrived.
We were very disappointed by the castle. We only saw five rooms which were very bare, no information provided about the castle in the rooms and the short guide we were given contained very little information.
Once outside the catsle, we enjoyed seeing three little cottages. we then wanted to get some food, but the Tea room was all locked up at quater past four when there was a sign outside the door clearly stating it didn't close until 5:30. There were still a lot of people walking around at 4 oclock but everything was closing, gates pulled across so we couldnt access half of the folk park with an hour and a half until closing. We were very disappointed to pay over 30 euro and didn't even get to see the majority of things available well before closing time. While I understand times are very different nowadays with CO-VID, there was no signs or information provided for the attractions we could not see. We left just over half an hour after we arrived.
Written August 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
D. McGrath
Mooncoin, Ireland6 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
I have visited Bunratty Folk Park many times in recent years and have always enjoyed it thoroughly. However after a trip over the weekend, I’m afraid I shall not be returning.
Firstly, the Covid one way system in place is appalling and counterintuitive. Corralling large numbers of visitors along a one way system, makes social distancing impossible. People were on top of one another in bottlenecks at various points along the trail.
Also, my exhausted toddler was verbally abused by a barmaid at Mac’s Bar (there were no other shops open due to Covid in the park) sitting quietly on a chair indoors as I queued for refreshments for our party of 6. Appalling behaviour towards a small child. Needless to say we left and will never return. Disgraceful!!!
Firstly, the Covid one way system in place is appalling and counterintuitive. Corralling large numbers of visitors along a one way system, makes social distancing impossible. People were on top of one another in bottlenecks at various points along the trail.
Also, my exhausted toddler was verbally abused by a barmaid at Mac’s Bar (there were no other shops open due to Covid in the park) sitting quietly on a chair indoors as I queued for refreshments for our party of 6. Appalling behaviour towards a small child. Needless to say we left and will never return. Disgraceful!!!
Written August 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
VandP
37 contributions
Jun 2021 • Couples
Loved our day out at Bunratty castle. We went early in the morning so there wasn't too many people around. The staff are so helpful and friendly. We got to have a pint and 7up sat outside the bar in the park which was lovely on a hot day. Absolutely beautiful place. Great day out for children, they would love the animals and playground. The castle itself is beautiful building. Such a lovely place to walk around. You get to see inside the old buildings, it's just great.
Written June 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
RenR_Ontario
Ontario, canada99 contributions
Jan 2020
The castle was the first we have seen on our visit to Ireland ... it was very interesting to see the small winding staircases and then large rooms they would open into. The village was totally closed when we went and the Bunratty house was also closed which was disappointing as they still charged us full price for admission but nothing was happening ... we were left to explore on our own. The petting zoo also wasn't available. Disappointed to pay the price we did and drive 1.5 hours to find out once we were in that this is there slow time and that we could not explore the whole park. More information or things to read on the castle rooms would have been great since there was nobody around to ask questions. The whole place took us 1.5 hours to explore. Disappointing again when we drove 1.5 hours based on the website information that did not disclose that half the things would not be available to see.
Written January 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Cool_Madra
13 contributions
Jul 2020
A little bit disappointed to be honest, the castle was great but the folk park was a let down. Nobody at home in any of the cottages or town houses, the pet farm had one sheep and lamb and two rabbits, no blacksmith in his forge.
To have staff in each open house would have spoke volumes about the individual houses as one would have got a better idea how people lived back then, the walkways were dismal and could have done with some sprucing up, fresh gravel and paint on the picnic tables and fences, exit signs would have been a great help too, the fairy garden hadn't seen paint for some time.
We are encouraged to staycate and spend our money at home but you have got to provide value for money too.
To have staff in each open house would have spoke volumes about the individual houses as one would have got a better idea how people lived back then, the walkways were dismal and could have done with some sprucing up, fresh gravel and paint on the picnic tables and fences, exit signs would have been a great help too, the fairy garden hadn't seen paint for some time.
We are encouraged to staycate and spend our money at home but you have got to provide value for money too.
Written July 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Olivia O
2 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
Just back from a family break in limerick with my two children aged 9 & 15. Let me start by saying I have never written a review before but have always taken advantage of other people options on hotels & days out which has always guided me in the past with good advice. I felt it important to write a review on our visit to bunratty folk park as it might help other family's planning on a day out. I have been to the park before & had a wonderful day it was one of the reasons we decided to return to limerick to experience it again & have a garenteened great day. Unfortunately we had a terrible experience when we visited again. Keeping it brief & understanding that we are visiting durning "covid days" as my daughter calls it, it was like a ghost town. Barely any staff, none of the street shops open, large queues outside all of the houses to visit with only half opened to the public & a pet farm with two goats & two rabbits. We were going to stop for a cup of tea to brighten up the boring walk even though we had only eaten a half hour before but the 5.50 for a slice of apple tart just made me furious as I felt we had already been ripped off with an entry fee to a disappointing experience so far. I really don't like to complain but they should really let people know what there getting durning these times or reduce the price considerably. Please don't waste your presious time & money visiting bunratty. A very disappointed customer
Written August 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
pamelamarie
ireland7 contributions
Hi iv visited bunratty lots of times as it’s my fav place ever. But iv not visited this late in the year and I’m wondering are the ladies still baking in the house showing off their skills , are the tea rooms open and are the wolfhounds still taken out to meet.
Thank you in advance
Pam
Andrea P
Ennis, Ireland14 contributions
Hi Pam..
I think you should email them before you planning to go to visit..
I have been there many times and taken a lots of pictures..but shops wasn't open .. so again recommend to book your time when you would like to come over here. Seasoning is open from April till September .. I think...and for the photography is better to visit this time ..
All the best and Happy New 2020 Year
Andrea Ennis, Ireland
Carmel_C_12_12
Tuam, Galway, Ireland129 contributions
Anyone done the Santa experience in Bunratty ?
We have gone to Ailwee caves the last few years .
Frances A
County Kilkenny, Ireland30 contributions
Done this with a group of Beavers (young Scouters) a few years ago and they had the best time ever there. Everyone enjoyed the day immensely and were able to talk about it for a long time after. Well worth the trip. I would only imagine that it has improved since our trip.
Patricia C
Stevensville, MD1 contribution
From some answers i received it appears there are TWO dining halls one up and one down? Is that correct if so we will just stay on.the bottom one
John M
Ramsgate, South Africa179 contributions
Sorry, my answer above is about the food on site, I now see you mean in the castle.
Patricia C
Stevensville, MD1 contribution
How many steps to the spiral staircase and is there any other way to get to the banquet hall other than the spiral stairs?
Jessica
51 contributions
The first banquet hall has approximately 5 steps that are not with the spiral staircase.. the main hall higher up has about 15-20. There is an alternative entrance at the side of the castle but there will be stairs there also, although it is not spiral and a bit easier to navigate for those less agile. Hope this helps.
webwalker222
Edmonton, Canada319 contributions
Will there be regular business hours for Easter Sunday? How busy does the day get vs the Easter event on Monday? I'm a solo traveler coming down by coach for the day from Dublin.
Leanne B
Gainesville, FL248 contributions
Sorry. I can't help you with that. We weren't there on a holiday. But, since they're having their Easter celebration on Monday, I would guess that means they'll be closed on Sunday. Check their website, and if that doesn't give you the information you're needing, I would suggest calling them in advance to verify.
bam00re
Boston, MA12 contributions
Can anyone tell me if the stairs to the castle have a handrailing? I know it is not wheelchair accessible, but wondering about the stairs. Thank you!
Bruce M
Sydney, Australia794 contributions
If I recall correctly all the staircases have handrails.
The stairs to the upper levels of the castle are very steep and narrow
Frequently Asked Questions about Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
- Bunratty Castle and Folk Park is open:
- Sun - Sat 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
- Bunratty Castle and Folk Park admission prices can vary. Entrance tickets currently cost $18.00, while a popular guided tour starts around $37.16 per person. See all 38 Bunratty Castle and Folk Park tickets and tours on Tripadvisor
- Bunratty Castle and Folk Park can be crowded, so we recommend booking e-tickets ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund. See all 38 Bunratty Castle and Folk Park tickets and tours on Tripadvisor
- According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience Bunratty Castle and Folk Park:
- Skip the Line: Bunratty Castle and Folk Park Admission Ticket (From $18.00)
- Cliffs of Moher, Burren and Galway Bay Rail Tour from Dublin (From $136.98)
- Cliffs of Moher Day Tour from Limerick: Including The Wild Altanic Way (From $41.41)
- Cliffs of Moher Tour Including Wild Atlantic Way and Galway City from Dublin (From $72.20)
- 3-Day Cork, Blarney Castle, Ring of Kerry and Cliffs of Moher Rail Tour (From $742.22)
- Hotels near Bunratty Castle and Folk Park:
- (0.13 mi) Bunratty Castle Hotel, BW Signature Collection
- (0.19 mi) The Courtyard B&B Bunratty
- (0.12 mi) Castle Gardens Holiday Homes
- (0.30 mi) Bunratty Manor Hotel
- (0.63 mi) Dunaree
- Restaurants near Bunratty Castle and Folk Park:
- (0.01 mi) Bunratty Medieval Feast
- (0.01 mi) MacNamara and Sons
- (0.02 mi) Durty Nelly's
- (0.06 mi) The Creamery Bar and Restaurant
- (0.17 mi) Traditional Irish Night-Cornbarn at Bunratty Folk Park