Bunratty Castle
Even before you get to Ireland, book a banquet at Bunratty Castle. This fortress sits on Folk Park, an ancient Viking trading camp dating back to 970 A.D., just 7 miles from Shannon Airport in southwest Ireland. The current castle structure is actually the fourth castle to be built onsite. Due to the violent changing of hands over 200 years between Irish chieftains and English kings, the original castle (and the following 2) were destroyed in battle. Today, it's the best place in Ireland to enjoy a traditional medieval feast.
In the banquet hall, women dressed in medieval gowns serve you hunks of pork, potato soup, bread and goblets of mulled mead. You'll sit on a long wooden bench and eat by candlelight, family-style, like the knights would have. The feast is set to the tune of a medieval instrument quartet, and with the cheery ambiance you're sure to become fast friends with strangers around you. Built in 1425 it was restored in 1954, to its former medieval splendor and now contains mainly 15th and 16th century furnishings, tapestries, and works of art which capture the mood of those times.
