Craggaunowen - The Living Past Experience

Craggaunowen – The Living Past Experience is an open-air archaeological museum set in wooded grounds at Kilmurry, County Clare, in the east of the county not far from Quin. Founded in 1965 by the antiquarian John Hunt, it recreates aspects of Ireland’s prehistoric and early Christian past, allowing visitors to walk among reconstructions of the kinds of dwellings and structures used by early settlers.

The centrepiece is a reconstructed crannóg, a lake dwelling of the type built on artificial or natural islands in Ireland’s Iron Age and early Christian periods. Elsewhere on the site visitors can see a recreated ringfort with a souterrain (an underground passage used for storage and refuge), a fulacht fiadh cooking site, and Craggaunowen Castle, a tower house overlooking the grounds. Costumed guides and demonstrations of traditional crafts help bring the recreated settlements to life.

The park is also home to the Brendan Boat, the leather-hulled vessel in which the explorer Tim Severin and his crew sailed from Ireland across the North Atlantic to re-enact the legendary voyage of St Brendan the Navigator. The wooded grounds are home to animals once common in the Irish countryside, and the site offers family activities and seasonal events. Craggaunowen is operated by Shannon Heritage; check the official website for current opening times and admission details before visiting.