Bunratty Castle and Medieval Banquet
We spent the day going through Bunratty Castle. The castle was originally built in 1425, and as you can see, it was very much a defense structure. 
There is an outer curtain wall and an inner bailey, with a courtyard. You can almost imagine the soldiers practicing here, or the folk going about their daily lives. When you enter the castle, there is a modern wooden staircase that was built as an entrance, but it wasn’t there centuries ago. Here is a cutaway view of what it might have looked like.
You can see that the bedrooms would have been on the upper floors, while the banquet hall was above the entrance level. Lower levels were used for food storage, and/or imprisonment.
One of the things that struck me was the difficulty of the stairs. There are hundreds of them, winding up a narrow path to the battlements. Thighmaster has nothing on Bunratty Castle. My quads were burning by the time I reached the top, and I consider myself in average shape. The stairs were so narrow, and triangular-shaped, only one person at a time could ascend. Let’s just say that there would not be any hunky Irish warriors hefting their women up the stairs. If they tried, they’d knock her unconscious going around the corner, because her head would whack the center support of the stairs. Not very romantic.
But you know what was really amazing? The furniture. When a baby girl was born, her father would commission a bride’s chest for her. Over the duration of her life until she married, the woodcarver would work on the chest and it became part of her dowry. The amount of detailed work on the chest was just incredible.
When we arrived for our banquet, ladies of the castle presented us with cups of mead in pottery mugs. Mead is a fermented drink made from honey, and you can really taste its sweetness. In the meantime, one of the castle ladies played the Irish harp. Another appetizer was fresh bread served with salt. You had to sprinkle the salt on the bread, after taking it from a small wooden bowl. A man and woman were chosen to be the Earl and Lady of Thomond, and they were given crowns as well.
The castle “steward” called us into dinner and we were led to long wooden tables. The first course was parsnip soup with brown bread, which was delicious, except that we had no silverware at all. The soup had to be drunk directly from the bowl. Then the second course of pork spare ribs was served. During the meal, a man was selected to be cast into the dungeon. His penalty was to sing an Irish song, which he led with gusto. 
Next, we ate a chicken with mead sauce, potatoes, julienned carrots and turnips, and for dessert, a raspberry mousse. Red and white wine were offered, along with water. 
All in all, we had a great time at the banquet.
Have you ever been to a medieval banquet yourself?
Michelle posted in Ireland Tales @ 7:04 pm | Viewed 3631 times
Trish Wylie Says:
My friends wedding was at Carrickfergus castle and all the guests got to hire costumes for the day and the banquet. We too had soup in little wooden bowls and the traditional Irish wheaten bread to dunk. The main course was a beef dish with a thick gravy and you had to eat it quite quickly cos the plates were made of a thick bread - which you also ate… saved on the washing up I guess… And of course mead in wooden cups…
We had jugglers and a roving mandolin player and when it was over we all wandered the grounds and had photos taken of us by tourists… Who thought we were part of the castle tour…
Mind you. I think we looked more out of place in the Pub and Hotel we stayed in across from the castle that night.
Great fun though!
Looking forward to hearing about where else you went…
Melissa Mc Says:
Does a medieval show at Excalibur in Vegas count? I still remember there was the cutest knight. He was so stunning that I asked one of the ushers about him. Unfortunately I learned he preferred knights to damsels in distress.
Can’t wait to see what you did next, Michelle! Great trip report.
Rene Says:
I’ve been to Medieval Times and Excalibur. I don’t remember the food. I do remember the knights. My friend’s ex-boyfriend was a knight at Excalibur. He also worked as a stripper. He was so gorgeous. Nice too. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer but his long hair and six-pack abs made up for it.
Kelly Says:
I would love love love to do a medieval banquet. Sounds like so much fun!
Melissa Says:
Oh, how I wish you had pics of the banquet!
Bonnie Ferguson Says:
I’ve never been to a medieval banquet but it sounds like a lot of fun
Teresa Says:
Wow - sounds like a cool banquet. I’ve never been to one myself - done the Renn Faire thing, but the one I went to was a small one, so there was no banquet.
Have climbed a couple of tower staircases, however, and am with you - not romantic and a great workout for the legs *g*.:cheer:
Sue aka MsCreativity Says:
A medieval banquet is on my ‘to-do’ list. I’ve never been to Ireland and hubby has promised to take me sometime in the next year or two. Reading your blog and looking at the beautiful pics, I don’t think I can wait that long!