Family Day Out - Bunratty Castle & Folk Park ♥

Yesterday was my wonderful fiance Jacek's 30th birthday and to mark the occasion we drove two hours to Co. Clare to visit Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. I was really excited to go as the last time I was there was when I was eleven on a school tour, the place brought back memories! As you can see from my past family day out posts we love going to castles and places steeped in history. The place was so quiet as we arrived there very early in the morning and we more or less had the run of the castle, luckily we brought Tyler Lee's baby carrier so we could bring him up the steep, spiralling staircases of the castle, he was amazed by it all! The castle is full of grandeur and you can just tell that so many weird and wonderful characters passed through it's doors in the past. My favourite part of the day was strolling around the grounds of the folk park. The buildings and fixtures of the folk park are so quaint and charming. It really felt as if we were exploring Ireland in the good old days when it was the island of saints and scholars, it's so oldy worldy. The foliage was stunning, sprinkled with all the gorgeous warm colours of autumn. We toured the various cottages and buildings of the folk park village and were greeted with lighting open fires in each one, it was so cosy and inviting. The folk park boasts a great playground with wooden forts, slides and swings so we couldn't resist letting Tyler Lee have a go on the baby swing, this was only his second time on a swing ever and least to say he absolutely loves it! We rounded the day off with a delicious lunch in Durty Nelly's, a pub and restaurant with a a great friendly atmosphere and when we eventually arrived back home we tucked into some birthday cupcakes which I had lovingly prepared the day before, can't resist baking cupcakes and to have an occasion to do it for is even better! Bunratty was the perfect place to spend a family day out, we weren't put off by the cold chills of November and we actually thought it was a great time to visit as the park looked so stunning and all the Christmas lights and decorations were just being put up. Most importantly Jacek enjoyed this very special birthday of his and it was lovely for all three of us to spend it together.

Have you ever been to Bunratty Castle and folk park? Have you had any family days out recently?