Trim Castle
Built in the 12th century by the powerful Anglo-Norman lord Hugh De Lacy, Trim Castle is the largest and undoubtedly one of the most impressive Norman castles in Ireland. It stands at an important crossing point on the banks of the River Boyne, which gave the town its name Áth Truim, or ‘the Ford of the Elder Trees’. Before the Normans arrived in the area, there was an early monastery here, that was said to have been founded by St. Patrick himself. Though no trace of this early foundation can be seen today, archaeological evidence points towards it being located in the area where St. Patrick’s Cathedral stands. With a resident population and an important river crossing, in an area of excellent agricultural land, Trim was the ideal location to become the caput, or capital, of De Lacy’s lordship.
The castle that we see today is one of the best preserved, and largely unaltered, medieval castles in Ireland. However, it was not the original fortification built by De Lacy. This was a large fortification known as a ‘ringwork castle’ constructed of timber with earthwork defences. It was captured and burned by the Irish High King Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair in 1174, during his campaign to push the Normans out of Ireland. De Lacy chose to reconstruct the castle, and he built it to last. He constructed a large stone fortress, with a deep moat and strong walls. The central tower, known as a donjon (or keep), is of a unique design. From above it appears as a cross, with project towers to the north, east, south and west, giving the building twenty sides to defend. All of the towers survive today, with the exception of the northern tower. A series of ‘put-log’ holes can be seen surrounding the walls. These are remnants of the wooden hoardings that once surrounded the upper levels of the keep, offering further vantage points for defenders to loose arrows or hurl down large stones at any attacking force. The keep is entered through a small doorway in the eastern tower. This building provided accommodation for the lord and his family, as well as the great hall of the castle and a small chapel, all spread over three floors, with the third floor added in around 1205.
It’s important to note that the defences of the castle extended far beyond the curtain wall, as Trim was a walled town. Only small parts of the town defences still survive, most notably the so-called ‘Sheep Gate’ that can be seen on the opposite side of the river from the castle. Just nearby to this gate you can also see the tall ‘Yellow Steeple’, that formed part of a medieval Augustinian friary.
For practical information about visiting this site Click Here
Built in the 12th century by the powerful Anglo-Norman lord Hugh De Lacy, Trim Castle is the largest and undoubtedly one of the most impressive Norman castles in Ireland. It stands at an important crossing point on the banks of the River Boyne, which gave the town its name Áth Truim, or ‘the Ford of the Elder Trees’. Before the Normans arrived in the area, there was an early monastery here, that was said to have been founded by St. Patrick himself. Though no trace of this early foundation can be seen today, archaeological evidence points towards it being located in the area where St. Patrick’s Cathedral stands. With a resident population and an important river crossing, in an area of excellent agricultural land, Trim was the ideal location to become the caput, or capital, of De Lacy’s lordship.
The castle that we see today is one of the best preserved, and largely unaltered, medieval castles in Ireland. However, it was not the original fortification built by De Lacy. This was a large fortification known as a ‘ringwork castle’ constructed of timber with earthwork defences. It was captured and burned by the Irish High King Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair in 1174, during his campaign to push the Normans out of Ireland. De Lacy chose to reconstruct the castle, and he built it to last. He constructed a large stone fortress, with a deep moat and strong walls. The central tower, known as a donjon (or keep), is of a unique design. From above it appears as a cross, with project towers to the north, east, south and west, giving the building twenty sides to defend. All of the towers survive today, with the exception of the northern tower. A series of ‘put-log’ holes can be seen surrounding the walls. These are remnants of the wooden hoardings that once surrounded the upper levels of the keep, offering further vantage points for defenders to loose arrows or hurl down large stones at any attacking force. The keep is entered through a small doorway in the eastern tower. This building provided accommodation for the lord and his family, as well as the great hall of the castle and a small chapel, all spread over three floors, with the third floor added in around 1205.
It’s important to note that the defences of the castle extended far beyond the curtain wall, as Trim was a walled town. Only small parts of the town defences still survive, most notably the so-called ‘Sheep Gate’ that can be seen on the opposite side of the river from the castle. Just nearby to this gate you can also see the tall ‘Yellow Steeple’, that formed part of a medieval Augustinian friary.
For practical information about visiting this site Click Here
Trim Castle on the banks of the Boyne • Meath
The de Lacys of Trim Castle
Hugh De Lacy (c.1135 – 1186) is one of the key figures in the early Norman invasion of Ireland. He came from a wealthy family, that had substantial land holdings in Herefordshire and Shropshire. In October 1171, Hugh de Lacy travelled with King Henry II as part of the main Anglo-Norman force to invade Ireland. He was granted the Lordship of Meath, an enormous landholding that encompassed all of modern counties Meath and Westmeath combined, along with sizeable parts of Kildare, Offaly and Wicklow. However, he had to take and hold the lands first. Being a pragmatic and experienced fighter, he established defensive motte and baileys across his holdings, with the centre of his power at Trim. He was described by the Norman chronicler Giraldus Cambrensis as:
‘… dark with sunken eyes and flattened nostrils. His face was grossly disfigured down the right side as far as his chin by a burn, the result of an accident. His neck was short, his body hairy and sinewy’.
Giraldus’s rather unflattering description does not seem to have held Hugh back as he appears to have had no shortage of romantic success. As Giraldus further remarks:
‘after the death of his wife he was a womaniser and enslaved by lust, not just for one woman, but for many’.
His ambitions in the bedroom and politics combined when he wed Rose, the daughter of the Irish High King, Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair. This was interpreted as a grave threat by King Henry II, who had feared that de Lacy was positioning himself to become an independent king in Ireland. Soon after his marriage, in 1186, Hugh de Lacy went to Durrow in County Offaly to construct a castle to fortify the area. As he inspected the works, he bent down to show an Irish labourer how to use a pickaxe properly. Seizing this opportunity one of his retinue, a young Irish noble, Gilla-gan-inathair Ua Miadhaigh, struck down de Lacy with an axe he had hidden under his cloak, decapitating the mighty Lord of Meath. Gilla-gan-inathair (whose name literally means ‘youth without bowels’, probably reflecting his skinny frame) fled the scene and managed to escape. King Henry II was overjoyed to hear of the demise of this powerful but troublesome magnate, and as Hugh’s eldest son, Walter, was not of age to inherit, he incorporated all de Lacy’s vast and hard-won estates as Crown lands and ensured the revenues filled his own treasury.
The Keep of Trim Castle • Meath
Walter finally inherited Trim and his father’s lands in 1189. Though he also fell out of favour with the Crown, when he joined forces with John de Courcy in attacking the lands of Prince John who was in rebellion against King Richard the Lionheart. John never forgot the insult, and after he became king following Richard’s death, he punished Walter by seizing his lands, and eventually forced him to flee to France. It was only after King John signed the Magna Carta along with a general reconciliation with the barons that Walter was allowed to resume control of his estates, though he remained in chronic debt to the Crown.
It was during Walter’s time at Trim that the castle was refortified and an extra storey was added to the keep. Walter died in 1241, outliving both his son and grandson. What was left of his estates was divided between his two granddaughters, Maud and Margery. Maud was granted Trim, and she married the wealthy noble Geoffrey de Geneville. They brought prosperity to Trim, and redeveloped the keep and added new buildings, such as a fashionable great hall that can be seen at foundational level in the grounds. They also refortified the walls of the town. Eventually the castle passed to their eldest daughter, Joan, who married Roger Mortimer. He would become notorious in English history as the man who had an affair with Queen Isabella, wife of King Edward II, and who, according to a probable apocryphal tale, allegedly contrived the death of the king by using a red-hot poker in a manner not conducive to good bowel health.
During the 15th century, Trim Castle became a Yorkist stronghold during the Wars of the Roses but, by the end of the 17th century, it had fallen into disrepair and decay. It passed into state ownership in 1993, and featured prominently in the filming of Mel Gibson’s film Braveheart. As the castle was never converted into a grand house in the 18th and 19th centuries, unlike Kilkenny Castle for example, it remained largely unaltered from medieval times. Today when you are inside the keep, you will see that reconstruction has been kept to a minimum, with modern catwalks allowing access around the building. This allows you to clearly see the different phases of architecture and uses of the building. As such, it is one of the best places to get a really good sense of the architecture of a medieval fortress, and you can enjoy one of the finest guided tours in the country from the excellent OPW guides! I also highly recommend taking the beautiful River Walk along the opposite bank of the Boyne, to encounter more medieval heritage.
Upper left: Trim Castle at dusk • Lower left: The view from the roof of Trim Castle. The yellow gravelled area marks the location of De Geneville’s Great Hall • Right: staircase in the keep
Top: Trim Castle at dusk • Middle: staircase in the keep • Bottom: The view from the roof of Trim Castle. The yellow gravelled area marks the location of De Geneville’s Great Hall
Trim Castle Visitor Information
One of the best preserved, and largely unaltered, medieval castles in Ireland, which still commands a dominating position on the landscape.
