TRAVEL
BUNRATTY:
THE SIEGE OF
Written & Photography by Robert Seuferer
48
Fall 2016 1961 Magazine
M AY 22, 1645 - B U N R AT T Y C A S T L E CO U N T Y
CL ARE, IREL AND:
5:00 AM – the black skies to the east begin to reflect a
hue of dark grey off in the horizon. Astro, Nautical and
Civil Twilight run their phases with little effect. The
dull tones simply grow larger but the brightness of day
is slow to come. From the battlements of the rooftop
the smell of turf burning afar drifts over the hills to
north and saturates the air. The slow continuous breeze
offers it like incense to a shrine. Strange ominous fogs
roll through the corcasses and bogs carving its course
through the moss covered oaks of the castle grounds.
Its eerie presence seems mystical to the superstitious
sentry watching as it engulfs the castle walls and the
courtyard below. Uneasiness lingers over the guards
atop of the towers as they gaze out to the north looking
for signs of the inevitable invasion.