Day 15 PM - Craggaunowen

 Day 15 PM - Craggaunowen

Map of Craggaunowen

So, today's main target was Craggaunowen It was set in beautiful green forest, and there was a profound stillness in there. When I arrived and went to pay, the man said I could have a discount, because they were filming a commercial there, and some parts may not be available - but it all turned out OK  for me. I was sussing out to see  if I could get in as an extra!!!! But they weren't actually filming while I was there.

There are 3 major parts to the village - The Castle, The Crannog and the Ring Fort (which were based on the Bronze Age experience)

The Castle was pretty standard.... 

Craggaunowen Castle

Info about the Castle

Inside the Castle

Inside the Castle

View from the top

Next I went to The Crannog.. (for more info, follow the link!)

Crannogs were found in Ireland during the Iron Age and early Christian periods. Though some homesteads were inhabited during the Late Bronze Age and in some cases were still being occupied as late as the 17th century.

There were "resident artisans" there who would fill you in with all the details.

This gentleman was in The Crannog

Artisan in The Crannog

Inside the Crannog

Fire pit outside

The next stop was the Ring Fort, where Tony was the artisan and blacksmith.

Ring forts, of which there are about 40,000 examples throughout Ireland, were the standard type of farmstead during the early Christian Period (5th -12th centuries AD).

Ring Fort

This lady was weaving baskets

Tony the blacksmith

Tony was a mine of information about the Gaels and the Romans and the Druids. Wish I could remember all the things he told me.

There were all sorts of "spiritual" things there too...

Faerie Wings

The Green Man of the Woods

There was heaps more that kept me engaged for quite a while, but eventually I started to wilt, and it was time for a lovely cup of coffee..

A comfortable cup of coffee at the end!

The hens were very free range too!!!

So that was my lovely afternoon at Craggaunowen. The ex-history teacher in me really loved all the sites and sounds and smells of the past, and those artisans were excellent too.

Hope it's not too much information for everyone... but I know I will look back at this page over time with great interest and memories.