After stopping to explore Quin Abbey, we continued on our way to Bunratty. We made a quick diversion to Knappogue Castle to add another castle to our target of seeing at least 12 of them during our Ireland road trip.
One of the nice things about Knappogue Castle is that you can drive all the way up without having to pay any kind of entrance fee (there’s a fee if you want to look around the castle and its grounds).
Once we’d taken a few photos of Knappogue, we drove the remaining 20 minutes or so to The Courtyard Bed & Breakfast in Bunratty. I’d booked us in here as it’s within walking distance to Bunratty Castle. There’s free-flowing wine at their medieval banquet, so this meant neither Shae nor I would need to be a designated driver.
The Courtyard B&B was a cute place with friendly owners and decent-sized bedrooms and bathrooms. We were given a key to get back in that evening, so it doesn’t matter if you want to stay out late. If you’ll be going to the Bunratty Castle medieval banquet, this is a perfect place to stay that night.
We were all feeling a little sleepy by the time we checked in, so we went to our rooms and took a little snooze as the banquet wasn’t due to start until 8:45pm. They also have a 5:30pm sitting if you don’t want to be up that late.
Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet
I think we were all a little more tired than anticipated as we ended up running a few minutes late for the medieval banquet. Thankfully they waited for us before starting, so we didn’t miss out on any of the entertainment.
We quickly made our way up the stairs and were each handed a cup of mead – an alcoholic beverage made with honey.
You start off in a room which has its walls adorned with old tapestries and stag heads. In the center is a small stage from which the MC and his assistant welcomed everyone.
While everyone had been mingling with their mead beforehand (which we missed), they’d picked two guests to be the guests of honor and who were also brought on to the stage. It’s a shame that we missed this, as Shae and I mentioned to the MC afterwards that we’d been to a medieval banquet here 13 years previously while on our honeymoon. He was disappointed that he didn’t know this beforehand, so it sounds like we could’ve been the guests of honor for the evening.
The evening then continued with a song:
After the song was over, they directed us down a spiral staircase to the banquet hall. This was filled with long tables that seated at least 8 people on either side.
There were several pitchers on each table filled with water, red wine and white wine. These were kept filled throughout the night for our imbibing pleasure.
Each place setting also included a small bowl of lemon water to rinse our fingers. This would prove to be useful later on with the second course.
Once everyone was comfortably seated, the entertainment continued and the first course was brought out. This was a tasty vegetable soup with soda bread.
Don’t forget that you’re at a medieval banquet though, so there are no spoons – you have to drink the soup from the bowl and mop it up with your bread.
Before the second course was served up, it required the approval of one of the guests:
They served up the spare ribs on large platters at both ends of each table. They were very generous with their servings as I don’t think our table managed to finish off either platter.
The spare ribs were delicious – Shae enjoyed them as well even though she’s not a big fan of pork. The meat was very tender and slid off the bone nice and easily, especially with the assistance of the steak knife they provided.
This was where the bowl of lemon water was most useful thanks to the messy fingers you end up with.
Once we were all finished up with the spare ribs (or as finished up as we were going to be), the third – and main – course was brought out.
A giant platter of roasted chicken and root vegetables was brought out for each table, along with some Irish potatoes.
Again, you’re still at a medieval banquet and so there were no forks provided. This therefore all had to be eaten as finger food or by spearing the food with your knife.
In case you’re wondering what the root vegetables were, the orange ones are carrots, the yellow ones are swedes and the white ones are turnips.
This was the first time I’d eaten turnip. It’ll also be the last as that stuff was minging. The rest of the food was great though!
For the fourth and final course, the servers brought out individually plated desserts. I can’t remember exactly what it was as I don’t seem to have a photo of it, but it did have strawberries on top. They do encourage you to feed the dessert to each other though.
After we were done eating, the entertainment continued. There was a violinist, harpist and lots of singing. It was a little different from when we visited in 2004 as back then they also had some Irish dancing. Still, it was all good fun and rounded off the evening nicely.
Once the evening was done, we had a chance to meet some of the servers / entertainers who were all very friendly.
After the banquet, Shae and Megan launched into some impromptu dancing outside.
The front of the castle is also beautifully lit at night.
The evening’s fun didn’t end there though…
Durty Nelly’s
We’d passed a pub called Durty Nelly’s on our way to Bunratty Castle’s medieval banquet and decided to stop in there afterwards for a nightcap.
The pub was pretty busy despite only being a Thursday night, so after getting our drinks at the bar downstairs, we made our way upstairs to find a table. This was a good choice for a couple of reasons: there was one spare table up there and – even better – there was live music.
The two guys playing the guitar and violin were very good and it felt like we were getting an authentic Irish pub experience. Unfortunately the video I recorded didn’t do their performance justice, so here’s a photo of some of the dancing that went on instead.
Meanwhile, we continued working on our drinks.
Apparently the one extra drink was what I needed to get Shae to convince me to dance with her. I think this might’ve been only the sixth time I’ve danced in my life:
Final Thoughts
If you find yourself on the west coast of Ireland, you should definitely go to the Bunratty Castle medieval banquet. We’ve been there twice now 13 years apart and loved it both times.
The food is delicious, the wine is unlimited and there’s great entertainment throughout the evening.
Ireland Road Trip
Here’s everything else that we got up to in Ireland:
- Introduction: Non-Surprise Ireland Road Trip
- 24 Hours In Athlone, Ireland: Where To Stay, Eat, Drink, Shop & Visit
- Luck Of The Irish At Kilmacduagh Monastery
- Returning To The Cliffs Of Moher
- Quin Abbey In 30 Photos
- Feasting Like Royalty At The Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet
- Day 3: Desmond, Dingle, Dolphin, Driving And Dining
- Puckering Up At Blarney Castle
- Day 4: Kissing Stones, Flat Tires, Stunning Food & Tiny Homes
- 4 Friends + 1 Tiny Home = 1 Fun Night In Ireland
- Breakfast Serendipity At The Conservatory, Laragh
- Glendalough Monastic Site In 25 Photos
- Shot Through The Heart At The Irish Whiskey Museum
- Dublin’s Best Breakfast At Stage Door Cafe
- What To Do (And What Not To Do) In Dublin, Ireland
- Travelling With The Peppers: Saga Holiday Adventures
- Don’t Make These 10 Mistakes When Visiting Ireland
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