Trim Castle

Trim Castle

The greatest Norman castle in Ireland

On the banks of the river Boyne in County Meath stands the largest Anglo-Norman castle in all of Ireland: Trim Castle. Its enormous walls enclose a wide grassy courtyard, and at its centre rises a massive stone keep, unusual for being shaped like a great cross or cube with square towers jutting from each side. Even in part-ruined form, Trim is a mighty and impressive sight, and one of the most important medieval monuments in the country.

Built by the Normans

The Normans, who came to Ireland in the late 1100s, built Trim Castle to control the rich lands of the river Boyne and to hold down their newly conquered territory. The work was begun around 1173 by Hugh de Lacy, a powerful Norman lord, and continued over the following decades by his family.

The great keep, with its many sides and thick walls, was both a stronghold and a symbol of Norman power. Around it ran a long curtain wall studded with towers and gateways, enclosing one of the largest castle courtyards in Ireland. Building such a fortress was a huge undertaking, and it announced that the Normans had come to stay.

A royal and powerful place

In the Middle Ages Trim was a place of real importance. The castle and its town were among the chief centres of English power in Ireland, and parliaments and important meetings were sometimes held here. The castle guarded the frontier of the area around Dublin known as the Pale — the region most firmly under English control.

Over the centuries, as power shifted and wars came and went, the castle gradually lost its importance, and by later times it had become a romantic ruin beside the river.

A star of the screen

Trim Castle found new fame in 1994, when it was used as a major location for the film Braveheart, the story of the Scottish hero William Wallace. Its great walls and keep stood in for several medieval settings in the film, and Trim's appearance on the big screen brought visitors from around the world eager to see the castle for themselves.

Studied and protected

In modern times Trim Castle has been carefully studied by archaeologists and restored enough to be safely explored. Its great keep can be visited on guided tours, which reveal the clever design of its many-sided tower and tell the story of the Normans who built it.

The town of Trim, with its other medieval remains, old abbey ruins and the river Boyne, makes the castle the centrepiece of a richly historic area.

Visiting today

Visitors can walk the vast courtyard within the curtain walls, climb the great cross-shaped keep on a guided tour for views over the town and river, and learn how the Normans built and defended this huge fortress. With its enormous scale, its unusual keep and its Hollywood fame, Trim Castle is one of the most impressive and rewarding castles to visit in all of Ireland.