Bunratty

Bunratty (Irish place name|Bun na Raite|End of the Raite river) is a village in County Clare in the parish of Newmarket on Fergus , Ireland.

History

The first settlement in Bunratty was by Vikings in 970AD. Bunratty had reached it peak in 1804AD, with a thriving economy, expanding community, and the construction of much of the buildings and infrastructure that we see today. At the time, Bunratty Bridge was the largest single arched bridge in the country.

However, throughout the famine years, Bunratty's population fell into decline. In the 1950’s, Bunratty’s most prominent structure, Bunratty Castle, grabbed the attention of the Hunt family, Lord Gort and the Irish Government, and so began the most extensive renovation in the history of the Irish State. Although Bunratty Castle thrived, being a number one destination for early transatlantic tourist, the village continued to decline.

The village had been reduced to the pub, Durty Nellys, a run down House was established around 1804.

Recent Developments

In the last number of years, the village has had many of positive improvements. Avoca shop and Restaurant and Meadows and Byrne/Woolen Mills (shop and restaurant) were both constructed in recent years (very controversial at the time), Shannon Heritage (shannonheritage.the 'turn of the century' village, and the Creamery (now a Restaurant and bar) has been brought back to life. Bunratty Castle Hotel has become the premier hotel in the village.

Bunratty Manor was constructed (currently Gallagher's Restaurant, (with its thatched roof and red half-door ) is faultless. Wee Noras (next door) is in the process of being converted to a café.Behind "wee Noras" there is a site with planning notice, adjoining a large stone residence. Impressive architecture, as this building could have dated back to same period as Bunratty Bridge.

Good to see life again in Bunratty House. The Red Door Restaurant opened in recent months in the cellar of the old house. As you continue far up the Hill Road, architecture is very varied, and with the exception of a couple of very recent structures, (one very nice "vernacular" plaster finished farm house) these residences could be located in any modern town/city in any Country.

There is also development on either side of Bunratty Manor. On one side, there are a number of exclusive residential properties. They are built using . Again, through clever architecture and natural materials, one is left with the impression that this could have been constructed from an earlier era. The use of ring development is pleasing, when you compare it to some of the ribbon developments that

Across from these properties, there are a number of holiday units, recently constructed, and although, initially, the finish on these units appeared to be the weak link in the recent architecture, they are settling in quite well into their obscured location at the back of the Bunratty Shannon Shamrock Hotel. There is a recently constructed conference centre within this confine, but unfortunately, the materials are inferior to neighbouring residences.