“From the Boyne flows the story of Ireland”

The heritage county town of Trim has sprung around one of Ireland’s most prolific Anglo-Norman castles, Trim Castle. We are also on the River Boyne and the trail of Ireland’s Ancient East, offering visitors an activity-filled route to explore 5,000 years of history in lush green landscapes. From the High Kings and early Christians to Viking and Norman invaders, to English rule and the struggle for Irish independence -- all the layers of Irish history can be traced around the mystical valley of the Boyne - the' Valley of the Kings' - and Meath's significant prehistoric sites.

Trim Castle: Guided Tour

When the Normans arrived in Ireland in the late 1100s they claimed the best land in Meath and Dublin, and made Trim the center of their administration north of Dublin. Trim Castle was constructed over a thirty-year period by Hugh de Lacy - one of the Anglo-Norman justiciars of Ireland who went to Ireland with England’s King Henry II in 1171.

DID YOU KNOW: The imposing 20-sided tower on the shores of the River Boyne was the location for King John’s Castle in the film Braveheart, the Oscar-winning historical drama ‘Braveheart’ starring Mel Gibson.

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TAKE A TOUR: Highly knowledgeable tour guides give all-age visitors access to the castle’s keep and a bygone world of castles and conquests, vainglorious knights and hidden treasure.

Trim Visitor Centre is open Monday to Friday (09.30 to 17.30), offering information about the Trim area and the surrounding Boyne Valley - and the interactive walking Medieval Armoury Tour for all ages. It’s also possible to see the model of Trim Castle used as part of the film in Braveheart.

Summer tours are available every day from mid February to October 31st from 10.00 - with limited access in winter. It is free admission to walk around the castle grounds or even have a picnic - but the castle keep can only be visited on the 45-minute guided tour (OPW Ticket Office at Trim Castle). For further details click here.

WHY NOT: Follow a tour of Trim Castle with a banquet at the hotel (fit for a king!) 

Local Highlights

DON'T MISS THIS: The Medieval Trim River Tour - an interactive tour starting at the original Ford in an 8-man raft! Read More.

Once a monastic settlement, Trim also held a strategically important crossing point of the Boyne from the early Medieval period. The Sheep Gate is the last remaining gate of the town wall built by Geoffrey de Geneville in the 13th century.

Trim was a major pilgrimage destination for Irish rebels and English soldiers alike. Visit Talbot's Castle a.k.a St Mary’s Abbey, the ruins of the former Augustinian Abbey built in 1368, which is situated across the river from Trim Castle. Today all that remains of St. Mary’s Abbey is the 40m high east wall of the tower, known as the Yellow Steeple.

Go to St. Patrick's Cathedral: behind the present church built in 1803 is one of the oldest ecclesiastical sites in Ireland - a 15th century Church Tower containing a medieval grave stone!