Bunratty West — Bunratty East,bunratty West

Situated on a low hill at ‘Bun Ráite’ (the mouth of the Ráite, now the Owenogarney River) in an area of considerable strategic importance since the Middle Ages as it controlled the passage of ships on the Shannon. The area, surrounded in the early 20th century by marshes to the S, W and N (Westropp 1917, 14-15), was at that time still isolated at high tide forming a naturally defensive location. According to Bradley et al. (1988, 19) the borough of Bunratty was situated in this area, most likely on the high ground to the N and W of the castle. The area is known as ‘Tradraighe’ or ‘Traderry’ and was first mentioned in the 12th century Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh which states that c. 960 the Vikings of North Munster built a fort at ‘Tratraighe’ (Bradley 1988, 20). The precise location of this fort has not been determined. The Anglo-Norman settlement of Bunratty began in 1248 when Tradery was granted to Robert de Muscegros. A castle (see CL062-001004-) was under construction in 1251 and in 1253 de Muscegros was granted the right to have a vill, with a weekly market and yearly fair, in his land of ‘Bunraty’. The earliest evidence for a parish church occurs in 1256 when the priest Peter was appointed perpetual vicar. In 1277 the settlement passed to Thomas de Clare by which time it had acquired borough status. No charter survives but an extent of the manor of Bunratty from 1287 noted that the burgesses of the vill held 226 burgages, paying 131. 6s. annual rent. The extent also noted a hundred court, a shambles worth 3s. yearly, fairs worth half a mark yearly, a watermill (see CL062-001007-), a fish-pond, and a rabbit warren. The 14th century Caithréim Thoirdhealbhaigh refers to ‘Bunratty of the wide roads, oared galleys and safe harbour ’. It also notes that the borough was defended by ‘broad-based high-crested ramparts, running from the stream to the sea’. Westropp (1917, opp. p 14) charted the possible outline of the defences (see CL061-011003-) but these particular earthworks were found, through excavation in 1990, to be 17th century (Bradley and King 1991, 16). Later excavations in 1991 and 2000 revealed a substantial ditch closer to the centre of the town (Wth greater than 8m, aligned E-W), with finds dating it to the 13th-14th century (O’Rahilly 1992; Wiggins 2000). De Clare’s settlement lasted until the defeat of his son Richard at the battle of Dysert O’Dea in 1318. After that the castle continued to be garrisoned and some reconstruction of the borough was attempted. The inquisition taken on the death of Thomas de Clare in 1321 described a castle with a large keep with outbuildings enclosed by a curtain wall. It also stated that ‘the remaining houses below the precinct of the castle are dilapidated and in ruins and cannot be reckoned as dwellings’. In 1332 the castle was captured and destroyed by Muirchertach Ó Briain and MacConmara. It was repaired and rebuilt by Sir Thomas de Rokeby in 1353. The present castle, attributed to Maccon MacNamara, was constructed in the 15th century, most likely on the remains of an earlier structure. Excavations around the late medieval church in 1991 (Bradley and King) revealed a habitation level including pits, a hearth and walls as well as finds of 13/14th century pottery. Test trenching adjacent to the church (Hull 2017) also revealed mid 13th-14th century Adare type ware. (Bradley 1988,19-25) Compiled by: Mary Tunney Date of upload: 2 October 2019