Liebster 2015 Award Nomination

I'm so excited . . . beyond excited to announce that I have been nominated for the Liebster 2015 Award. Now at this very moment you're probably asking yourself what the Liebster Award is? The Liebster Award is handed out by bloggers to other bloggers. It's a way to promote new or smaller blogs in order to get them more recognition throughout the blogging community.

 The meaning of Liebster in German means " sweetest, kindest, lovely, endearing and sweetheart". I want to give a HUGE thanks to Ryan Webster at A Backpack and a Boarding Pass for nominating me!! I was so excited when I heard that The World At My Feet  was being nominated and couldn't believe. I had to tell everyone I could!! As part of the nomination I have to ask the following questions that were given to me by Ryan. In return I have to nominated 10 small blogs, who in turn will answer the questions I give them. I hope you guys learn something new about me and without further ado:

1. What are 11 fun facts about you?

~ I'm a huge animal lover
~ I'm a homeowner
~ In addition to writing on my blog, I'm a full time worker and a part time student
~ I have moved nine times so far in my life ( 4 of which were cross country)
~ I went to camp as a child and loved every minute of it. It taught me so much and I met people from around the world
~ I have lived in four states and moved back to two of them at one point
~ It took me until my 21st year on this earth to travel internationally
~ I have toe that grows crooked
~ I love DIY projects
~ I love to write stories
~ Reading is my favorite pastime

2. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

This is a really hard question to answer! After I read the question I had three places immediately pop into my head. They were Norway, Ireland and Scotland. Out of those three countries I have only visited Ireland (so far) and I was enchanted with the incredible natural beauty. I would definitely have to live somewhere that has natural beauty and outdoor activities.

3. What is your favorite travel destination and why? And what is your least favorite?

So far Ireland was my favorite destination, although London ranks close! I love Ireland because of it's beauty. The natural beauty of the country and the beauty of it's people. It's astonishing how friendly people are and their willingness to go out of their way to help a stranger. That's uncommon here in the states and it was quite refreshing to come across. At the moment I don't have a least favorite destination. I've enjoyed everywhere I have visited.

4. Do you have any crazy or scary travel stories?

I'm not sure if this really falls under crazy or scary . . . maybe weird, creepy, or crazy. I recently returned from a trip to Chicago, where I met up with my best friend from high school. We were taking the train from Chicago to the suburb we were staying in. Toward the end of the trip a guy got on and sat across from us. Did I mention that he was tweaking out on some sort of drugs and acting really odd? We decided to move to the stairs to disembark, because we were approaching our stop. While standing on the stairs a ticket collector joined us and stood across from us. He accidently (I'm assuming/ hoping) bumped his arm into me. Which happens . . . except he turns and looks at me, touches my arm and said "It was a pleasure touching you. I'll always remember it". 

5. What is your favorite dish from abroad? What is your favorite dish from your country?

My favorite dish from abroad at the moment is Filipino pancit and lumpia. So incredibly yummy. My favorite dish from my country is pizza. I could eat pizza all day every day!!

6. Which Blog post are you most proud of?

The blog post that I am most proud of is My Travel Wishlist. This is a continually changing list of places I want to visit and experiences that I want to have. I think this list helps to keep me grounded and it's something I look forward to doing. The more places you visit and see the more things come into focus for me.

7. What type of traveler are you (Backpacker/Budget, Luxury, Business, etc.) ?

I would say that I'm a mixture between a budget and luxury traveler leaning more towards budget. I'm always looking to save money (hey that's more to go towards another trip), but who wouldn't want some luxury in their life? I will never sacrifice my safety for money though.



8. What is the most useful or important thing that you have learned from your travels?

I love this question! I have learned so much from my travels that I can't just list one. Throughout my travels I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned that it's ok to be alone and you don't have to always be surrounded by people. I have learned to have more confidence in myself and to rely on myself. I have learned that while there aren't good people in the world not everyone is out to get you. I discovered that its good for the soul to get outside your comfort zone everyone once in a while!

9. What are your favorite third-party sites when planning a trip abroad?

I have several third-party sites I use whenever I'm planning a trip. Believe it or not Pinterest is my first go to site! I can find so much stuff to do by just typing my destination in, and I can organize it on my boards so I always have it. My second site is Tripadvisor. I almost always check their site for reviews on things I want to do and places I'm looking at staying at.

10. What are your travel essentials?

I have a list of things that I always have to take with me on a trip. I have to have my passport (international travel)/ id, credit cards (always alert the companies), lotion, hand sanitizer, my ipad mini; a book (or three), chapstick, and sunglasses. Oh and you can't forget a scarf!

11. What inspired you to create a blog?

My first international trip. It takes so much work to plan a trip yourself. There is so much that goes into it. Should I stay here? Should I rent a car, take a plane, a ferry, a train? Is this attraction worth my time and money? How can I save money without being too cheap and still have fun? I wanted a place that people could come to and read reviews about places I have been and the answers to all the above questions. It's an overwhelming process that I wanted to help people with. I also wanted to inspire people to travel and prove that you can travel no matter what. I work full time, go to school and travel. I have also have responsibilities like being a homeowner and taking care of my dog . . . and I still travel. If there is a will, there is a way.

I nominate the following blogs . . .

~ Cathy Merrifield: Roarloud
~ Karlie: Miss Wanderlust
~ Hannah: Postcards from Hannah
~ Ginger: One Year, My Dear
~ Maggie: The Woven Whim
~ Melissa: A Broken Backpack
~ Mimi: The Atlas Heart
~ Melissa: KC Girl Travels
~ Jessica: Journey's with Jessica

Nominees now you need to:

~ Now you need to create a post answering the questions I have for you (listed below).
~In your post make sure to link it back to ME with a thank you!
~ After answering the questions, nominated 11 other blogs with under 200 followers. You will need to provide them with 11 of your own questions, and provide them with the same instructions.
~ You will need to notify your nominees and provide them with the link back to your post, so they know what to do
~ When everything is completed, come back to my blog, comment on this post with a link back your post. I can't wait to see everyone's answers!!

Questions for the Nominees:

1. What are 11 random facts about you?

2. What is your travel style (luxury, business, budget, ect)?

3. If you had to choose between make-up or shampoo, which would you choose?

4. What can ruin a good travel person?

5. Why do you travel?

6. What inspired you start a blog and how long have you been blogging?

7. Do you have pets? Tell us about them and how you travel with that responsibility.

8. How do you deal with culture shock/homesickness?

9.  When and where was your first trip?

10. What is the most unusual experience you have had while travelling?

11. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I can't wait to read everyone's posts!!

Blarney Vale Bed and Breakfast

I have fallen in love with bed and breakfasts since my Europe trip. They are my now preferred choice of accommodation. Blarney Castle was on our list of attractions (and bucket lists) while we were in Ireland. We decided to stay a couple nights in Blarney and use it as a home base. We chose Blarney Vale as our b&b for that leg of the trip. It is an adorable b&b set atop a hill on the edge of town.

This was one of my favorite bed and breakfasts. Anne was so incredibly nice and welcoming. She is a wealth of information and can give you pointers in any direction. We left our luggage and went straight to Blarney Castle. Blarney Vale is about a 5 minute walk into the center of Blarney Village and Blarney Castle. You are offered coffee and tea on arrival! She recommended dinner options in town for us. The next morning she was kind enough to ask us of plans for the day. She then sat down and gave us directions, advise on where to go and what to do!

I was extremely surprised with the size of our room. It was by far the largest of our stay. We had a full and twin bed, and a ensuite bathroom. For those that are concerned there was a lock on our bedroom door, giving you some piece of mind.

Blarneyvale.com

This b&b offers free wifi, and it works! There a dining room for the guests and a guest lounge. Blarney has a private car park to park your car. This was a huge bonus for us! You do need to notify the hosts of this ahead of time.

All in all we highly recommend staying at this bed and breakfast if you are in the area. It was centrally located with friendly and fantastic hosts!

20 Facts about Bunratty Medieval Banquet . . .

This banquet came highly recommended by my father who used to live in Ireland. I'm so glad we listened to his recommendation and bought tickets for it. We were running late, but there was still a line waiting to get in when we arrived.

1. You get see a small portion of the castle while they finish setting up dinner

2. They provide a small performance in the Great Hall before dinner

3. Free Mead is provided for all the adults during the first performance

4. For dinner you sit at communal tables like you would in medieval times

5. You receive a 3 course meal: appetizer, entrée and dessert

6. No silverware!!

7. We had delicious soup, chicken and potatoes, and dessert

Main Meal
  

8. The pottery your meal is served in is available for purchase

 9. We had the nicest server . . . great local insight.

10. Everyone is dressed up for their part

11. The performance was awesome. A very talented group!

12. It is interactive with the crowd: someone gets crowned the Earl and Lady

13. Someone gets thrown into the Dungeons- Make sure it isn't you!

14. Shannon Heritage runs this banquet along with the Knappogue Banquet and the Dunguaire Banquet

15. The whole performance with dinner included is about 2 1/2 hours

16. There are two performance times 5:30pm and 8:45pm

17. The Banquet runs yearly

18. The price for adults is 51.50 euros

19. Reservations are required: Book ahead of time or their wont be tickets left

20. Visit their website at http://www.shannonheritage.com/BookNow/

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Bunratty Castle

The first Bunratty Castle was constructed in 1250 and consisted of a earthen mound with a wooden tower. Throughout it's history Bunratty changed hands, was destroyed, rebuilt and destroyed again. In 1425 the current castle was built by the MacNamara clan and was surrounded by a village of over 1,000 habitants. The castle fell into disrepair until the Viscount Lord Gort purchased the land and building in 1954. He then began extensive renovation on the castle and it opened to the public in 1962. Bunratty has a fascinating history if you would like to learn more.

We visited Bunratty the same day we visited Knappogue Castle. They are only a 20 minute drive from one another. This castle and it's medieval banquet came highly recommended by everyone we spoke to. There is free parking for this castle and they had the biggest parking lot of all the castles we visited on our trip. We arrived later in the afternoon, and were not able to get a reservation to the medieval banquet for that night; so we prebooked a reservation for the following night. We purchased our tickets and followed the pathway to the castle. We had limited time before closing and the castle was a higher priority than the folk park.

Bunratty Castle was definitely the biggest castle we saw and the most functioning castle we saw. A lot of the castles we saw were in disrepair, but because of the renovation done on the castle it was like walking through time. Every room was restored to look as it would have in 1425.

Bunratty was a very imposing castle and cold! I had always read about how drafty and cold castles were, but its completely different to experience it in person. It's a self guided tour through the castle. Guests can stay as long or as little in each room as they would like.

Ready for Battle

The great room was cavernous. It was easy to imagine the laird of the clan listening to his subjects complaints in this room. On the upper level of the castle there is a peephole in the wall looking down in the great room. How many people have stood there ease dropping on conversations in history past? Some rooms did have railings preventing the furniture and tapestries from being ruin. They also ask that you refrain from using flash photography in parts of the castle. The flash will deteriorate the tapestries.

No further entrance

Nook in the room above the Great Hall

Visitors are able to visit the dungeon and battlements at the very top of the castle. The dungeon wasn't something to get too excited about, but they are dungeons. Visitors are able to take the stairs down into a little hole, turn around and walk back up. I can tell you that it made the day of every child we saw.

I liked that we were able to visit the battlements. Most castles have those closed off to visitors. The views were amazing!

Warning: be careful when coming back down. The stairways were extremely crowded with people trying to come up, so it created a bit of a jam. This is a castle that requires you to be mobile. There are lots and lots of stairs. If mobility is a problem you would only be able to access the Great Hall. Overall, I'm so glad that we stopped and visited this castle. It was beautifully restored and it was incredibly easy to imagine someone living in the castle during 1425. The ticket price includes Bunratty Castle and Bunratty Folk Park (look for the review in the next post). Please leave any comments or questions below.

Ticket Prices:

Adult: 10 euros
Child 6-16 years: 8 euros
Child 0-6: FREE!!
Seniors: 9.45 euros
Here is the link to purchase tickets for Bunratty Castle and Folk Park:
http://www.shannonheritage.com/BunrattyCastleAndFolkPark/

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Knappogue Castle

Knappogue Castle is a 15th century tucked away in County Clare. The castle was built in 1467 by the Macnamara Clan, who also built Bunratty Castle. The castle was confiscated in 1659 by Cromwell, and returned in 1670 when the monarchy was restored to power. In the early 20th century Knappogue was used as headquarter for the Free State Army in Ireland's fight for freedom. This castle has gone through so much history, and I love the stories behind the history. We happened upon this charming castle as its tucked out of the way.

Road to Knappogue Castle

Your first glance of the castle is following the curved driveway until you are along side the front of the castle. It's an excellent view of the castle. You continue driving around to the side of the castle where there is a free parking lot.

First glance of Knappogue Castle

The entrance is at the front of the castle, where you enter a gift shop. You can browse to your pleasure and pay the entrance fee. Again, student id's will give you a discount! Exiting the side door of the gift shop leads you to inner bailey of the castle. It's so easy to imagine a group of riders cantering through the bailey door and bringing their horses to a halt.

Door to inner bailey

Inner Bailey

Once you cross the bailey and go up the stairs you will enter the main floor of the castle. You are able to access most of the castle, however there are locks barring you from certain areas. One thing I loved about this castle is they have snippets of the history of Knappogue and time around the castle. I thought this was very interesting and added insight to the time period.

Snippets of history

There are also beautiful formal gardens on the castle grounds. By the time we had finished touring the castle it was pouring out. Unfortunately, we did not visit the gardens on the account of the rain. Overall I think this castle is worth the visit. It was lovingly restored in the 20's and has been taken care. This is another castle run by the Shannon Heritage and they do a wonderful job preserving these pieces of history. For anyone interested you are able to rent a room at this castle, it's just going to significantly empty your pockets. The going nightly rate is a whopping 900 EUR a night! Knappogue also offers a medieval banquet at night.

                        Entrance Prices:
Adult 6 EUR
Child 2.50 EUR
Senior 3.50 EUR

You can buy tickets at Knappogue or online at https://www.shannonheritage.com/BookNow/BookTickets.aspx?eid=0100

Doolin Cave

Doolin Cave is located in the Burren north of Doolin Village. This cave is home to the "Great Stalactite" and is considered a world class natural tourist attraction. I love visiting natural attractions like this. Nature always amazes me.

 We arrived early in the day and had a small tour group. It was my friend and I, a couple from New Mexico and their driver. We had a great tour guide, Jim, who was extremely knowledgeable about the cave and surrounding area. The tour starts out by entering the cave and descending about 80 feet underground. At the bottom of the entrance everyone is given hard hats before continuing further into the cave.

The cave is low in some spots and you have to occasionally bend over. There were a couple times where my hard hat scraped against the cave. There is a reason for those hard hats! The stalactite is around 23 feet long. We learned that it is the longest free hanging stalactite in the northern hemisphere. It's quite a thing to see. It's amazing to walk into the cavern and see it hanging from the ceiling as if it's a chandelier. The stalactite is definitely the centerpiece of the room. At the top of the room everyone poses for pictures with the stalactite in the background. The tour guide was kind enough to take pictures of everyone.

 

There is a platform at the bottom of the cavern that everyone is able to walk down to and take more pictures. Unfortunately, I didn't have the flash attachment on my camera and had to rely on my friend for all the pictures. Our guide informed us that they are opening another cavern and was hoping to have it finished by November of 2013. If I'm every in the area again I will have to stop and see the new cavern. This isn't a strenuous or challenging walk through the cave. I think anyone could do this, except very small children and older people who are not in shape. The only things I could see presenting a challenge would be the amount of stairs you have to climb up and down, bending over and the metal walk ways are wet and slippery.

This is an attraction that you want to wear comfortable, closed toe shoes. I wore my Merrell hiking shoes for most of this trip. Remember it is always cold in caves, so dress accordingly. At one point you are about 200 feet below ground. Chilly! Once the tour is over (about 45 minutes to an hour long) there is a nature trail you can walk or enjoy food at their café.

There is a café, gift shop and bathroom facilities on site. We chose not to walk the nature trail, because we had a busy day ahead of us. Flash photography is allowed: don't forget your flash attachment like I did!

The cave is opened from March to November from 10am until 5pm. Tour times are at 10am, 11am and every half hour starting at 11:30am.

                             Tour Prices:
Adult: 15 euros
Child: 8 euros
Family: 50 euros

If you book your tour online there is a discount. I was able to get a student discount off my prices with an id. It's not advertised, but I would ask. Doolin Cave is truly a hidden gem and I highly recommend stopping if you are in the area. Check out their website: http://www.doolincave.ie/

Cliffs of Mohr Hotel

Cliffs of Mohr Hotel is located in Liscannor, Ireland. It's two miles from the Cliffs of Mohr and 50km from Shannon Airport. I had originally booked our stay at Logues Liscannor Hotel. A week before our arrival I received an email from the hotel. They were having construction done on the hotel and moved us across the street to their sister hotel for the same price.

 

 

This was the second place we stayed on our trip. I was pleasantly surprised by this hotel. We arrived just as the weather was taking a nasty turn for the worse. There was a little bit of confusion at check in. They were having a hard time finding our reservation, but I had brought every confirmation with me, and they were able to find our reservation with that. I received the impression that they were a fairly new hotel and were still working out the kinks.


There weren't a lot of people staying and they weren't very busy. The check in guy was also working in the restaurant. He was the only working staff member that we saw. We ate dinner in the hotel restaurant. The restaurant was small and cozy. There was a fireplace in the bar area, surrounded by two tables. In the other room there 5-6 tables. The food and beer were really good, and it was a cozy refuge from the storm.

 

The following morning we ate breakfast (included in our stay). They had several cold breakfast options. I was impressed with their spread and options. The fruit was fresh, they had several cereal and drink options. You are also able to order a hot breakfast. The waiters were very helpful. They were willing to answer any questions we had and were very knowledgeable about the surrounding area.

I was impressed by the rooms. They were very spacious and modern, something I wasn't expecting in Europe. The bathrooms were spacious, modern. It was refreshing! Overall we enjoyed our stay here. The fast was friendly and helpful. The amenities were great, but the wifi in the rooms was spotty.

(Laterooms.com)

There isn't much to do in the town of Liscannor. There is one bar in town, but they do not serve food during the week, and the other restrauarant closes early. There is a town within 10 minutes from this location that has plenty of food and shopping options.

Cliffs Of Mohr

The Cliffs of Mohr and Blarney Castle were at the top of my things to see list. Neither were a disappointment. The Cliffs were originally planned for the following day (Day 3). The ticket attendant at Aillwee Caves was so very kind to us. It turns out she had lived in America for a short time and had attended the same college as me! What a small world! I travel across the world and meet someone who attended my small public college. I suppose a student id can be an icebreaker. When she found out we were planning to go to the Cliffs of Mohr the following day, she recommended we go that same afternoon. Apparently there was bad storm predicted for the next day that we didn't know about! She even pulled up the weather radar on her computer to show us.

She called her husband to get the best directions to the cliffs for us. What a fresh breath of air that was! I'm glad we listened to her, because the weather did pick up that afternoon through the following day. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It was nice out when we arrived.

The longer we stayed the darker it became and the wind was blowing us all over the place!

The visitors center was built into the earth. The further you walked away from it the harder it became to distinguish it . . . fascinating! The views of the ocean were breathtaking, and I loved watching the storm come in. We were able to get some amazing pictures as the storm rolled in. When you approach the cliffs it is safe with a cement wall blocking you from the Cliffs edge. To the right is a sitting area and further up you can walk on the unprotected part and to the left is the O'Brien Tower. We went to the right first and for the more daring and adventurous you can walk onto the less stable portion. Of course we had to do it! There are warnings that clearly state you are doing so at your own risk . . .

 Past this point you can get as close to the edge as you want. I did get close, but I was very cautious. However my friend did closer than I did.

 

 

 A sad reality of the cliffs are some people jump off of them to commit suicide and they have erected a memorial for those that have jumped. 

 

 

We did not walk the entire side of the cliff because of the weather. We wanted to head to the other side before the weather became to bad. The O'Brien Tower was closed when we visited, so we weren't able to go inside.

 

 

I highly recommend visiting the cliffs if you have the time. I would like to go back and get pictures with the sun coming up! It's not too expensive to get in, and they do offer a discount for students!! They also have a small café with food and drinks inside the visitors center and a wonderful gift shop!! Visit the website for more information: http://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/.

                                              

                                              2014 Price List:

Adults- 6 euros

Students- 4 euros

Senior citzens- 4 euros

Children under 16- FREE!!!

 

 

Aillwee Caves

Aillwee Caves are karst caves located underground. They are located in County Clare, Ireland. This is area is commonly referred to as the Burren. The region itself is a wild, beautiful, dramatic scenery. I loved driving through it. Ireland is a abundant in breathtaking scenery. I'm discovering that I favor wild, dramatic beauty. When you pull up you are greeted by a guard. She explained everything that was offered at Aillwee Caves and that is when you purchase your ticket.

 There is plenty besides the caves to do here. They have a lord of prey center, the hawk walk (I don't think this was offered while we were there, but it looks pretty cool), the wolf den (survival skills) and a farm shop. We only paid for the cave, but we stopped at the farm shop on our way up the hill. They have homemade goods for sell, drinks, cheese and fudge. They offered us free samples of the cheese and fudge. The cheese was so good that we bought some to take with us. I still talk about how good that cheese was and how I wish I could have some right now! It was delicious!
Once you make it to the top of the hill, there is parking available and you enter Aillwee Caves. Outside of the entrance you have a prime photography spot of the burren. There is a panoramic view of the burren. The town and coast look like tiny little dots! Inside is where you wait for your cave time. There is a gift shop to browse and a cozy tearoom.

 

The tour is 30 minutes and it's all walking. The cave floor and metal bridges are damp and wet, so plan your footwear accordingly. For the majority of our trip I wore my Merrells and my friend wore her converse with no problem. This was not physically active, especially the other cave we toured. I saw families with very young children in the tour groups before and after us.
At one point inside the cave they do turn the lights off. It was pitch black and you could see nothing. I have never been in darkness like that before. I imagine that is what a black hole would look like. I stuck my hand in front of my face and I still could not see it . . . not event the outline. I don't know how the people who discovered it kept digging in such darkness.

It was a good tour filled with local history. They explain how the cave was discovered. There are even bones inside the cave of a 2,000 year old brown bear that is now extinct. It used to roam that area, but no longer. I would recommend this cave to visitors. We did visit another cave and in comparision Aillwee Caves seemed more commercialized and touristy, but I'm still glad I visited. Don't forget your cheese on the way out!

If you purchase tickets online it will save you money! Check it out . . . http://www.aillweecave.ie/.

Dunguaire Castle

Dunguaire Castle is a 16th century tower house located on the southern shores of Galway Bay.  It was built in 1520 by the Hynes Clan. Legend has it if a person stands at the front gate, and asks a question, they will have the answer to that question by the end of the day. I did some research on this castle after we came home, and Dunguaire is thought to be one of the most photographed castles in Ireland! Funnily enough we didn't even know this castle existed before our trip.

We left our B&B that morning and began our journey to Liscannor, where we would be staying the next couple of nights. It ended up taking us the entire day to get there! There were so many things we came across and we stopped at all of them. We were passing through a small, Irish town when a castled popped up out of nowhere! We had a just driven around a curve, and directly in front of us was the castle! We were so excited to see our very first castle! We had been warned that castles would be everywhere, but this one is special to me now. We drove past the castle and parked in the free parking lot down the road. It's a small parking lot, but it is free. We crossed the street and walked a couple minutes to the castle. It's a very picturesque castle with the Irish countryside on one side and Galway Bay on the other side.

Dunguaire is run by Shannon Heritage and it was in very good condition. I think Bunratty is the only castle we saw that beats it in condition. The have the rooms set up as you imagine they would be in medieval times. We paid a small fee in order to tour the castle. It was awesome! The spiral staircase starts on the first floor and continues to the top. You are able to enter the rooms at each landing. In some cases you had no choices, but to get off at a landing in order for the people coming down to pass you.

The Great Hall is set up just as you imagined it would be. The table went around the room with the lord and lady's chairs at the head. I'm not sure if your allowed to sit in the chairs, but I did!

 

We became very familiar with spiral, stone staircases on this trip. On the top floor there is a couple of steps that lead you outside to battlements. You are allowed to go up and walk around. Some of my favorite pictures were taken here!

It was so beautiful! The views of Galway Bay and the irish countryside were amazing! They did a wonderful job restoring this castle. I'm so glad we stopped. Sometimes deviating from your plan gives you such unexpected surprises!

The castle is open from April- October 1, 10am- 4pm. The admission for the castle is as follows:

Adult- 5 euros
5-16 children- 2.95 euros
0-5 children- free
Seniors- 3.50 euros

They also offer the Dunguaire Banquet. We didn't know this was offered, but we did do the Bunratty Medieval Banquet. They are both run by the Shannon Heritage, so I'm sure this one would be fine also. We really enjoyed our banquet. The banquet is offered at 5:30pm and 8:45pm. Reservations are required. Reservations can be made at Dunguaire Castle or on their website http://www.shannonheritage.com/EveningEntertainments/DunguaireCastleBanquet/.