The History of Bunratty Castle

The chequered history of Bunratty is filled with stories of sieges and conquests, executions and murders, even an occasional spirit, of ambitious men, and their wives, seeking to be overlord; of Norman, Irish and English, all inextricably linked to mould the story of Bunratty, spanning a period of almost 800 years. Four distinct castles or fortifications have stood here since the middle of the thirteenth century, an indication of the importance of the site, situated as it is on the river passage to Limerick, once an important Viking and later Norman trading centre. If walls could talk this is the book they would write - as Martin Breen takes you on a journey through the history of this most renowned of Irish castles.