The fashion for renovating castles and using them to host "medieval banquets" may be said to have begun at Bunratty, which was restored in the 1950s under the brilliant guidance of Percy le Clerc and filled with Lord Gort's magnificent collection of medieval furniture and tapestries. It is now one of Ireland's main tourist attractions and justifiably so - for no other castle gives a more lasting impression of medieval life. BUNRATTY CASTLE & FOLK PARK: www.shannonheritage.com
Hillview House Bed and Breakfast, Maghera, Tulla, Co Clare Tel: 065 6831927, Mobiles: 087 1250317 or 086 8386006