Monsters, Misfits and Mayhem to take over Clare tourist attraction this weekend

Monsters, Misfits and Mayhem will descend on Bunratty Castle & Folk Park this Bank Holiday Weekend as it is transformed into a haunted Halloween village.

From this Saturday, the traditions and superstitions of Samhain will be on display with Halloween games, ghostly characters, witchcraft, a Bed of Nails, tarot reading, street entertainment, and Haunted Train rides past ghosts, grim reapers, and zombies that will appear from the shadows.

Commenting ahead of the weekend, Marie Brennan, Events Manager at Bunratty Castle, said: “Our Halloween event is hugely popular with people from across the Mid-West Region and beyond. We are very excited about welcoming everyone back to Bunratty, where history meets the haunted. It is an eerie time of year, and we have pulled out all the stops to create an unforgettable experience full of fun, frights and festivity for the whole family."

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Throughout the weekend, age-old Halloween traditions will be re-enacted at the Golden Vale Farmhouse where the Bean an Tí will speak about the types of food that typically would have been eaten in Samhain and recall the peculiar superstitions of the time. The Farmhouse also will host Halloween-themed fun with traditional games such as Bobbing for Apples, Blind-Man's-Buff and Snap Apple.

Adult visitors will be invited to step back in time at a Victorian-era parlour séance where the secrets of the past will be unveiled as the spirits of the departed are summoned.

The Wicked Wake will be hosted in The Shannon Farmhouse where the resident MacNamara family will mourn the loss of their beloved Mickey, whose ghostly presence suggests he has unfinished business in the land of the living. 

Visitors can experience a re-enactment of a Witch Trial each day at 11am, 12pm, 2.15pm, and 3.30pm by following an angry mob from the village street to Ardcroney Church. Meanwhile, a bewitching duo will take up residence in the kitchen of the Loop Head Farmhouse where mysterious concoctions will be brewing.

At Corry's Pub on the Village Street, Bunratty’s resident seanchaí Mickey Joe will recount fables of Samhain and hair-raising tall tales passed down through the generations.  

Other performances include Halloween puppetry with Konor Halpin in the Village Street Alleyway, Escapologist Monsieur Gusto showcasing his juggling, escapology, and acrobatic skills on Monday, and fun and frightening frolics with Dracula King of Vampires, The Minister of Death, Escaped Convicts, and Mad Musicians.

The Red Devil and the King of the Vampires will lurk in the shadows ready to pounce at a moment’s notice, The Talking Head guarantees to entertain and frighten guests at the Mountain Farmhouse, Dr. Jekyll’s surgery will open its doors for anyone who is brave enough to enter, a shrinking illusion will be on display in the Castle’s basement, and the Bed of Nails returns this year in the Castle’s Torture Chamber.

Visitors to Bunratty Castle also will get to see the deadly dungeon and monstrous murder hole and meet Maleficent's Wicked Sister.

‘Monsters, Misfits and Mayhem’ takes place from 10.30am to 1.30pm and between 2pm and 5pm on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. See bunrattycastle.ie for more.