Dunguaire Castle is another structure overlooking the water
on the western coast of the Emerald Isle. Part of County Galway's charm and the
history of Connacht Province, Dunguaire is just over two hours, by car,
from the Dublin Airport.
Since it is due west until you hit the Atlantic, the drive is a simple one, taking you west along M6 until the R438 route that leads you south to Kinvarra and one of its biggest attractions, Dunguaire Castle.
My third son (of four) and I visited Ireland in May, 2023 (my 12th visit to the country overall). The Medieval Banquet at Dunguaire Castle was one of the highlights of our trip!
We arrived a bit early and hung out in the courtyard with visitors from all over the world, making friends and anticipating the feast. Then we were served warm mead in the waiting area by the 'King's court' (who would also be the evening's entertainment).
Entering the lavish banquet hall we were treated to reasonably good Irish fare and truly great conversation with travelers from multiple countries. The entertainment was mostly musical, often comical, occasionally touching.
Aiden and I had spent much of the day eagerly exploring castles (Blarney and Bunratty) so even though the stairs to the upper floors were closed off we asked if we could pretty please go have a look.
A member of the Court who shall remain nameless snuck us away when nobody was looking, allowing us to take some unique photos of a room where Irish literary luminaries like W.B. Yeats and George Bernard Shaw used to meet and ... er... compare notes.
Here are some fun facts about this amazing Irish landmark. Hopefully they will entice you to pay a visit in person!
But if that is not possible, you can always use them to impress your friends with your knowledge of one of the most-visited attractions in Ireland.
You can find more information about this amazing Irish landmark from Galway Tourism here!
It is probably obvious - at Irish Expressions, we love Irish castles! The Emerald Isle is dotted with hundreds of these incredible structures.
Sharing pictures and stories about them gives us a deeper sense of connection with Ireland, wherever in the world we happen to be!
We have captured the most amazing pictures and descriptions of Irish castles in an e-book we call "An Illustrated Guide to Irish Castles and Abbeys."
This fun, free guide is available to you to download. Scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your email to get instant access!
Great question! As you can see, exploring the castles of Ireland offers many opportunities
for enjoying an Irish experience and expressing your personal Irish
side!
For more information of this kind, you might pay a visit to our section on Ireland Sightseeing here!
One way to share your love of Ireland is by displaying your family coat of arms (family crest). A very personal symbol of the stories and accomplishments of your ancestors can adorn clothing, kitchenware, wall art, personal accessories and so much more.
Want to have a look? Our friends at House of Names can help!
Tap the button below and see your family crest for free!
At Irish Expressions we believe everybody – well almost everybody! - has an "Irish side." So how nice would it be to have access to a fun, free Irish experience, on demand, wherever in the world you happen to be?
Over the years we have compiled many free, downloadable resources including lyrics, recipes, games, jokes, blessings and much, much more. Would you like to receive them ALL for FREE? Simply share your email for instant access!
If you would like to see more from Irish Expressions, you can find us on Facebook and Pinterest. You can also communicate with us using our contact form here.
And of course you can always reach out to me directly at bruce@irish-expressions.com.
However you choose to connect, we would love to hear from you! Meanwhile, thanks for visiting! I hope that we will meet someday, in person or online, and you can tell me about your own connection to the Emerald Isle.
Until then, best wishes -
Bruce Grady, and the team at Irish-Expressions.com
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