*Photograph: Brian Arthur
FOSSETT’S CIRCUS 135th anniversary will be celebrated this month in the beautiful surrounds of Bunratty Castle and Folk Park.
‘The Big Top’ of Ireland’s national circus will be set against the backdrop of the country’s most famous medieval castle on June 17th and 18th. The award-winning show will feature the very best of international circus acts, including jugglers, aerial acrobats, dare devils and much more.
It will be the first time since 2018 that Fossett’s Circus returns to Bunratty.
Aodhagan Behan, Operations Manager at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, said, “The show is very much part of Ireland’s rich entertainment heritage, so it is appropriate that one of the country’s best known heritage attractions hosts the circus on the occasion of its 135th anniversary”.
He confirmed that circus goers will receive free entry to the Castle and Folk Park.
The story of Fossett’s Circus stretches back exactly 135 years ago when George Lowe, the original Amazing Doctor Powell, set out on a tour throughout Ireland with his own circus. He and his troupe, which included Edward Fossett, performed at traditional fair greens and marketplaces during the summer of 1888, marking the origins of the internationally acclaimed circus.
Marion Fossett, the ringmaster of Fossett’s Circus, has been carrying on a family tradition that has lasted for generations. She outlined, “All of our performers and crew have very fond memories of our last visit to Bunratty in 2018 and this year, we promise to put on an even bigger and better show to the people of Clare. Highlights of our circus include the Globe of Speed featuring FMX Stunt Motorcycle riders, The Wheel of Death, and the thrilling Flying Trapeze high in the roof of the Big Top”.
Ticket bookings for Fossett’s Circus at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park can be made at www.bunrattycastle.ie/events. Each purchased ticket provides free entry to the Castle and Folk Park.
