Trim Castle

Really enjoyed the tour of the castle & the tour.
Was so cheap, the tour guide was both informative and funny.
Would highly recommend the tour

Visited April 2015
This location was apart of our Heritage Card, and on our way to Belfast. We stopped in, took some pictures of the site, and learned it was used in the movie Braveheart. Due to it being a windy day, we were not able to climb the castle. It’s right next to a river, and there’s a parking lot not far away.

Trim is a town in the heart of the Boyne river. I have seen other castles — sometimes not inside but the exterior already shows if it is worth visiting or not and this one is. The area was used in the great epic «Braveheart» in the nineties and boasts this castle, the largest of its kind in Ireland. What made me love the area the most was of course the Irish green lands everywhere but also the big park that surrounds it, which is nice for a picnic and is full of families and locals taking walks. The park has some funny seats in the shape of big mushrooms and at the very back, an interesting cemetery — full of good energy and with well maintained grounds. What really intrigued me is a romantic tomb and the history behind it — «Sir Lucas Dillon’s tomb. Those 2 big statues are Lucas himself and his wife resting places, together. The legend says it is the tomb of the «jealous man and woman» and it seems to have the power to cure warts. Very nice short trip!

It’s the castle that served as a scenario for the movie Braveheart. It’s well maintained, shame that’s not opened on Mondays during the month of December, however, I still took lovely pictures from the castle grounds.

This was an amazing castle!!! It’s huge and you actually get to see most of it. There isn’t much to walk around outside, so it’s perfect for a rainy day. If you love castles and want some history with it, definitely stop here.

Trim Castle has recently become my new favourite running location. It’s an amazing local amenity and the people of Trim are understandably proud of it. As well as the imposing castle, there is a park, walkways and open farmland around the castle just begging to be explored. Do yourself a favour and give it a visit when you have the chance.

I am visiting my native land for the first time in 18 years and finding that there are all sorts of historical places open for visiting now that were just ruins not so long ago. Trim Castle is one and we visited on our first day here. It would have been a fantastic place to visit even if all we got to do was wander around but a guided tour definitely added value. It was built starting in 1173 not long after the Norman invasion of Ireland as the Norman’s center of power in the area. We were told it was the largest Norman fort built anywhere. I will not give a lot of details as they are easily researched via Google (or any other search engine, I assume) but I have to say that the overall effect was stunning and it must have been even more stunning to the newly subjugated Irish. It also must have been a very uncomfortable place to live as there was just one fireplace. Today is a very cold, windy and wet day and just taking the tour left us chilled to the bone. I cannot imagine what it felt like to live in a place like that with no heat.
The whole visit reminded me of a poem my father wrote:
A Warning to Conquerors
This is the country of the Norman tower
The graceless keep, the bleak and slitted eye
Where fear drove comfort out; straw on the floor
Was price of conquering security.
They came and won, and then for centuries
Stood to their arms; the face grew bleak and lengthened
In the night vigil, while their foes at ease
Sang of the strangers and the towers they strengthened.
Ragweed and thistle hold the Norman field
And cows the hall where Gaelic never rang
Melodiously to harp or spinning-​wheel.
Their songs are spent now with the voice that sang;
And lost their conquest. This soft land quietly
Engulfed them like the Saxon and the Dane
But kept the jutted brow, the slitted eye–
Only the faces and the names remain.
Copyright Donagh MacDonagh

This was a fabulous place to visit. And all for only € 4 and it also included a tour of the inside of the castle. Well worth a visit.

Tromp around the ancient pad of Hugh de Lacy. He and his son Walter built the largest Anglo-​Norman castle in Ireland in late 1100’s and it is still a magnificent structure.
Admission is 10 Euros for a family and with that you gain access to the keep and a really informative tour which describes the stages of the castles construction and what life was like there in the 12^th century. Oh yeah, if you loved Braveheart, with Mel Gibson, you can’t miss it since the castle was featured in the movie.

Few historic sites in Ireland are as impressive as the trim castle tour, the history is so alive, the castle beautiful and the grounds are a fantastic place to take the kids.
Don’t miss the view from the top, stunning!

This is another nice thing about visiting Ireland — the whole country is surrounded by tons of history. This castle was originally built in late 12^th century.
If you drive from Dublin, it would probably take you an hour or so to get there. They have guided tours throughout a day (except for winter time) which I took and it was very helpful.
Oh, the castle is noted for the part it played in the filming of the Mel Gibson’s Braveheart…

Would you like to visit a castle which became part of ‘Braveheart’ — yes it was used in the filming of the blockbuster movie. As you approach, the stonework is so well constructed and the walls so impressively built, that you get a real feeling of Ireland in the Middle Ages; when you see all the turrets, you nearly feel that some Hawk eyes are peering out at you from the openings! For this is a real castle, and the Masons who built it, were craftsmen reaching for their place in history. And when you enter, you can feel the tides of history sweeping by; then look out at the beautiful River Boyne and you will feel like a priveleged member of a film club being given a sneak preview of the vistas of County Meath! If I were part of a real Star trek crew, this castle would tempt me to transport back in time to the Middle Ages. On a more practical note, the guided tours last about an hour.