The Road to Bunratty

One of the beautiful paths surrounding Bunratty Castle. Here, an iconic thatched roofed cottage with whitewashed walls remains a powerful symbol of Ireland. The walls were built with stones found locally, pieced together in an interlocking fashion, then covered with a mud plaster before being white washed.
An interesting fact that I found out was that between 1799 and 1851, the British government imposed a "window tax." This tax was imposed on any homeowner whose house had more than six openings. This penalty came to be called the “typhus tax” because of the increased incidence of respiratory problems related to poor air quality in these thatched cottages.

County Claire, Ireland

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