.. of which we only had two ... but that didn't dampen our exploration of this beautiful country of green fields, castles and much more ... no time to waste ... we spent a couple of hours at Bunratty Castle, one of Ireland's major tourist attractions ...
... but before we walked through the castle gate set in the thick outer walls ...
... and were confronted with large cannons ..
.. and walked along the drawbridge to an unusual first floor entrance (designed to deter invaders) ...
.. we wandered about in the castle grounds ... in the rain ... getting soaked ... where there are farmers and fisherman's cottages from 'way back when' reconstructed ... (this one's thatch is roped down to protect it against the Atlantic gales) ..
... furnished as they were in those early days ... cute and cosy bed .. no wonder there's a baby's crib nearby .. which I'm sure was never empty !!!!!
Every village had to have a blacksmith's forge ...
Here is it .. Bunratty Castle .. in the rain ... !!
... furnished as they were in those early days ... cute and cosy bed .. no wonder there's a baby's crib nearby .. which I'm sure was never empty !!!!!
Humans have got a bigger as generations passed. This is a salmon fisherman's home with a rammed clay floor ...
Every village had to have a blacksmith's forge ...
A poorer farmer's house typically found in Limerick and Kerry ....
.. which has a wooden outbuilding next door to house the loom of the weaver ....
.. it now houses a dinky woollen shop ... heaped with yarns of wool and woollen jerseys, scarfs etc ... all so beautifully made .. soft and warm ... but rather costly for our Rand exchange rate ... and the proprietor of the shop had a fascinating theory that if it stopped raining by midday then the next day would be perfect ... she was right !
Here is it .. Bunratty Castle .. in the rain ... !!
Will do two further posts - so watch this space .. the Castle interior - which was difficult to photograph as no flashes were allowed except in the Main Guard, which is now used for medieval-style banquets ... and the Bunratty Folk Park .. a fascinating walk ... in the rain .... but clearing ... through a time and age when life was simple.
And the lady in the weaver's shop was right ... we had perfect weather after this day !!
Avril...there is so much history there...you captured it in your photos...
ReplyDeleteThe small houses reminded me of the museum park. Only two days of rain eh? Hmmm.
ReplyDelete