At Bunratty we toured the castle. Our guide told charming stories of the uncomfortable life in a castle on our tour through the military room and great hall.
He related the origin of “sleep tight” as a reference to tightening the ropes of the bed so that the occupant didn’t sink to the cold floor. Also “the walls have ears” referred to spy holes where the lord listened to conversations about his castle.
This ancient Celtic fertility symbol was built into the wall.
We then wandered up winding staircases into the priests’ rooms, banquet halls, private rooms and pantry.
We descended the treacherous steps into the dungeon where no one anticipated leaving alive. Guests were ordered to descend twelve steps in the dark. The first eleven are normal but the last step is twelve feet down into the dungeon. Good luck in surviving.
This “leuchterweibchen” is a chandelier with a female figure.
The castle is part of a Folk Park where medieval homes have been moved. These homes belonged to gentry and were furnished accordingly.
With little time for lunch before our next stop, we had to settle on delicious chocolate bars with liquor.
The rain and gale force winds affected our visit to the Cliffs of Mohor but we did manage to see them for brief moments. This view hints at the beauty we only saw through photographs in the Visitors Center.
We had a group dinner for our last night of the tour. The restaurant offered turkey and cranberry sauce in honor of Thanksgiving. After dinner we sipped Irish Coffee and enjoyed conversation with some of our fellow travelers.
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