8, 9, 10, 11, AAAHHHHHHHH!

What do you think would happen if you tried to attack Bunratty Castle?

We went to Bunratty Castle and took a tour of the castle and the grounds. We started in the basement where we learned the history about the castle. We went outside and the tour guide, who we think may have been a leprechaun, told us that castles were designed to defend the people inside.  So we learned lots of different ways to defend the property.

First of all, a moat surrounded the castle to force anyone who wanted to enter the castle, to use the drawbridge. If you were a friend or family, you would be welcomed.  But if you were foe and started to fight on the drawbridge, there were arrow slots built into the castle walls on both sides so guards could shoot the person trying to get in. Above the drawbridge was the murder hole, where the guards would pour burning hot oil on your head!

If you made it past the drawbridge, you would be in the main guard room, which is a dimly lit room where the soldiers slept. It was a large room with benches and tables with candles on them.

This is where the dungeon was located.  There were 12 steps but you could only see 11 from the gate because the twelfth step was hidden. The prisoner would walk down the steps and since it was dark they would fall down into a big hole which would be their final room as they could not get back up because the hole was too deep.  Today, the castle has a small window so we could see, where we were going.  In the dungeon was a fake person who had fake wounds – it was disturbing.

Click on this video – and watch….

If you could get past the moat, the drawbridge, the arrows, the murder hole, and the dungeon with the guards, your next step would be to go up the stairs. But, what we learned is that staircases were designed to allow defenders of the castle to always have the advantage.  The staircases were very narrow with the stairs winding in a clockwise direction as you went up.  This would have allowed the defenders the chance to pounce on the attacker and use their right hand with the sword, but the wall would block the attackers right hand – so they couldn’t use their swords very easily. The biggest nightmare would be an army of left handed attackers!

Once you got up the stairs, there was the Great Hall. What I liked about the Great Hall were the spy holes. They were holes in the wall covered by pictures and tapestries and guards would look through the holes in the walls at the people visiting the King. This reminds me of the book Tuesdays at the Castle where the main character Celie explores and maps out a magical castle.

Although I would like to have lived in a castle, there are no bathrooms, so I’m quite happy living at home!