Trim Castle is beside the River Boyne in Trim, County Meath, Ireland.  It is the largest Anglo-Norman (Cambro-Norman) castle in Ireland. It was built by Hugh de Lacy. He was granted the lands by King Henry II of England in 1172 for his part in the Norman invasion of Ireland.

Trim Castle Area Map

Trim Castle Area Map

It took some thirty years for Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter to build the castle. It is on somewhat high ground, overlooking a natural ford of the River Boyne.

The castle is completely open to the public. I spent a lot of time exploring the castle. This was the first castle I had ever seen in real life. I took a ridiculous number of photos.

“At its zenith the complex must have been a spectacular sight. The keep stood in a bawn of over three acres, the perimeter of the bawn wall being 1500 feet. The keep walls are 11 feet thick and contain only stairs…”

The Houses of Ireland (A Studio Book)
Brian de Breffny, Rosemary ffolliot, George Mott

This is where Braveheart was filmed.  Braveheart was a Mel Gibson movie about the 13th-century Scottish warrior William Wallace who led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence.

Sign by Trim Castle in English and Gaelic

Sign by Trim Castle in English and Gaelic

Sign by Moat at Trim Castle is in English and Gaelic

Sign by Moat at Trim Castle is in English and Gaelic

Next: Summerhill and Kildare >

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Next: Summerhill and Kildare >