DUNGUAIRE CASTLE
Medieval Banquets on Galway Bay
It
is one of the most photographed castles in Ireland, set on a low outcrop
of
rock along the southern shore of Galway Bay across the small
harbor of the little town of Kinvarra. Dunguaire Castle is a single square
tower keep confined by a high defensive wall built in 1520 by the celtic
Irish Hynes clan. The current castle
was built on the spot of an earlier fortress of the 7th Century King
Guaire known as “The Generous”, son of the legendary
King of Connaught from whom the clan descended. The castle fell into
the hands of the Martyns of Galway during the Irish Confederation of
the early 1600s and the mayor of Galway lived there until 1642. The rather
melancholy setting of the castle, with the mud flats of the bay revealed
at low tide, or magnificently hauntingly beautiful when reflected in
the bay estuary waters
against the ever changing sky when the tide is in, has been the inspiration
of poets and artists. So much so, that the poet and doctor Oliver St
John Gogarty purchased the property in 1924 and entertained other poets
of his day, W.B. Yates, John Millington Synge and Gearge Bernard Shaw,
leaders of the literary Celtic Revival, with Yates leading the pack,
incorporating Celtic traditions into his plays and poems. The castle
was later acquired by Lady Ampthill in the 1950s who completed the restoration.
Medieval Banquets
The castle
is open to visitors from May through September, but it best known for
its Medieval
Banquets held five nights a week. A four course
meal in medieval style, with long wooden bench seating, held in the castle’s
rather intimate banqueting hall, served by costumed wench waitresses,
pouring wine or ale, and entertained by a cast of performers or lords,
ladies, knights and jesters, with the culmination of a 40 minute stage
show of Irish songs and poems from the famed literati associated with
the castle. The medieval banquets at Dunguaire are similar to those at
Bunratty Castle (see Bunratty
Castle and Folk Park) closer to Shannon,
also operated by Shannon Heritage.
The Dunguaire Medieval Banquets cost €56 per adult, children are €42 for 9-12 and €28 6-9 years old. Two banquets are held per evening, beginning at 5:30pm and 8:45pm. Reservations are required. Seating is for a max of 55. You can save a few Euros by booking tickets online. The castle can be visited without staying for the banquets, admission €6. Dunguare Castle is about 30 minutes drive from Shannon or 20 minutes from Galway, easily reached by car along the coastal road of southern Galway Bay on the way toward the famed Moher sea cliffs of (see Cliffs of Moher) and the Burren.
Favor Question Legend
One curious bit of lore about Dunguarie is the generosity of the spirit of the ancient lord of manor. King Guaire acquired his reputation for generosity in pennance for his father’s attempted drowning of a mother carrying a child who had been prophesied to take his place. The murder was thwarted when the rock tied to the mother’s neck floated rather than sinking. If one stands at the front gate of the castle and asks a question, an answer will be given before the day is over - but beware the Celtic poetic sense of irony and consider well the question before you ask. © Bargain Travel Europe
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Dunguaire
Castle Banquets
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SEE ALSO:
DRIVING
IRELAND'S SCENIC COUNTRYSIDE
GREGANS CASTLE HOTEL - THE BURREN
HIDDEN KERRY WALKING TOURS DEAL
O'BRIEN’S
TOWER – CLIFFS OF MOHER
