Travel Journal:

Across Ireland - Craganowen: Bronze Age Ruins


Craganowen: Bronze Age Ruins
 
The next day held a two-part outing: the first half was a trip to a Bronze Age Celtic site in Craganowen and the second to Bunratty, a medieval castle.  Craganowen remains one of the best-preserved Bronze Age sites in all of Ireland which even non history enthusiasts can enjoy. However, spending half a day in an “educational” setting can be a bit taxing for those of a wee attention span.  In the museum we learned all about how pre-historic Celts (one of the most ancient peoples yet to be discovered) lived and went about their daily lives.  The tour guides showed us reconstructions of ancient machines used to heat water and build huts, among other functions.  With simple thatch and twine, they effectively kept out the extremely cold and damp weather through all seasons, a task modern day Eire still struggles with!  The ancient Celts were absolutely ingenious to be able to garner so much use out of the most basic of resources.   Most fascinating of all was a preserved boat that traveled in centuries before Columbus set sail (the Celts were all over the world, they made it as far as Egypt and possibly further.).  The castle built at the site came a few thousand years and boasts a fantastic view from the top level as well as a wealth of historical pieces from the Bronze Age to Medieval times.  My favorite artifact was a pair of antlers twelve feet long mounted above a doorway from a giant elk dating back ten thousand years!  Quiet and self guided, the castle is a pleasant excursion for those seeking to avoid other tourists, but is smaller and harder to get to than Ireland’s more famous castles. 
 
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