Bunratty
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Bunratty Bun na Raite |
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| Civil parish | |
Buildings in Bunratty village
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 Bunratty
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| Coordinates: 52°42′29″N 8°49′35″W / 52.708011°N 8.826512°WCoordinates: 52°42′29″N 8°49′35″W / 52.708011°N 8.826512°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | County Clare |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Urban | 219 |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Website | www |
Bunratty (Irish: Bun na Raite, meaning "End of the Raite river") is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland, and a small village by the same name. The village is located next to a major tourist attraction, Bunratty Castle, on the N18 connecting Limerick to Galway. The Raite river defines the eastern boundary of the parish, and flows into the Shannon Estuary, which defines the southern boundary.
The first settlement in Bunratty may have been set up by Vikings in the 10th century. The Annals of the Four Masters report that Brian Boru destroyed a Viking settlement in the area in 977.
Around 1250 the Anglo-Norman ruler Mucegros was given the right to hold a market and fair at Bunratty. He built the castle in 1277. The castle became the main residence of Richard de Clare, owner of all of Thomond. In the late 13th century, Bunrattty had about 1,000 inhabitants. Richard de Clare was killed in 1311, and in 1314 the town of Bunratty was burned to the ground by the local people. The castle was sacked in 1332.
The current Bunratty Castle was built by the MacNamara family in the early part of the 15th century. It later became property of the O'Briens, who eventually made it their principal seat as Earls of Thomond. In the early 18th century it came into the possession of the Studdert family, who built Bunratty House in 1804.
In 1834 Bunratty parish had 55 Protestants and 1,340 Catholics. As of 1841 there were 1,320 people in 207 houses. The parish was crossed by the road from Limerick to Ennis, which ran past the castle. In the Roman Catholic system, Bunratty parish was united with Tomfinlough and Kilconry parishes. As of 1845 the castle was being used as a barracks by the Royal Irish Constabulary. During the Great Famine (1845 to 1852) Bunratty's population fell into decline.
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Wikipedia