History

  Also known as St. John’s Castle, Trim castle is not only the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland but probably also the one that best survived to the attacks of the time and other turbulent events happening in this part of the country [1].
  Constructed between 1176 and 1220, shortly after the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland, Trim castle sits on the south bank of the river Boyne [1].
In 1172, the baron Hugh de Lacy had been granted the lands of the Kingdom of Meath by the Anglo-Norman King Henry II, probably to discourage the expansion of Richard de Clare (known as Strongbow), the 2nd Earl of Pembroke, and, in order to secure his control over Meath, he started building several castles in the area, one of which was Trim castle [1-3].
De Lacy left Ireland entrusting the castle to Hugh Tyrrel, baron of Castleknock, one of his chief lieutenants [2]. However, the initial wood castle, known as “ringwork castle” [4], was burnt by forces of the Gaelic High King of Connacht, Roderick O’Connor (Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair), pushing Tyrrel to flee [2, 5]. After this incident, the castle was rebuilt probably by De Lacy and the impressive fortress that we can admire today started taking its shape [2]. The cruciform three-story stone keep, also called the Great Tower or donjon, was protected by thick walls, and surrounded by mighty walls and extensive grounds including many other sites [1].
The construction of the castle took over thirty years and, after Hugh died in 1186, killed by the young Irish noble Gilla-Gan-Mathiar O'Maidhaigh (whose name means ‘youth without bowels’, perhaps because of his skinny body [4]), it was completed by his son Walter in the 1220s [1, 2].
How was Hugh de Lacy murdered in 1186 is well explained in [4]: he went to Durrow (county Offaly) to supervise the construction of a castle and, while bending down to show a worker how to use a pickaxe, Gilla-Gan-Mathiar O'Maidhaigh beheaded Hugh de Lacy with an axe and managed to flee [4]. It is also told in [4] that King Henry II was pleased about this death because he feared that de Lacy aimed at becoming a king in Ireland, especially since the powerful baron married the daughter of the Irish High King, Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, the same one that had previously burnt the “ringwork castle”.
  Walter de Lacy was not favoured by the crown either, as he supported John de Courcy against Prince John (“John lackland”), who rebelled against King Richard (“the Lionheart”) [4, 6]. After King Richard died, John became king, seizing the lands of Walter and, only after the new king signed the Magna Carta, Walter de Lacy regained possession of his estates [4].
However, Walter also did not hold a good relationship with his brothers [6]: he won a seven week battle in 1224 against his rebellious brothers, who took control over the castle while Walter was in England.
  Let’s get back to our castle. The site was chosen because it is on raised ground, in proximity of the fording point of River Boyne, which is a navigable river, only 25 miles (40 km) away from the Irish sea [1, 2]. To this regard, the original Irish name of Trim (Áth Truim) means ‘The ford of the elder trees’ [3, 4].
  When Walter became Lord of Meath after Hugh died, the construction continued and new elements were added to the fortification, such as a ditch, moat, and curtain walls with towers [1]. Under Walter, an extra storey was added to the keep [4].
  The castle's development did not stop in the next centuries: between the end of the 13th century and the beginning of the 14th century, a new great hall, a new forebuilding, and stables were added to the keep [2].
Mathilda ('Maud'), granddaughter of Walter De Lacy, inherited the castle that then passed to her husband, Geoffrey de Geneville, a French knight and crusader who had become a supporter of Henry III and his son Edward I, who added the great hall beside the keep [3, 7]. Finally, in the 14th century, it passed under the Mortimer family, who held it until 1425, when the male line died out with Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March [2]. Successive owners of the castle were Richard of York, who was killed at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460 during the Wars of the Roses, and his son, King Edward IV [2].
  It is worth to mention that during the 15th century, for seven times Trim castle was the seat of the Irish Parliament [2, 5]. In particular, in 1465 a Parliament gave permission for the beheading of thieves and the heads cut off were to be placed on a spear in front of the castle [8]. In this period, the Parliament also decreed that coins would me minted at Trim castle [8].
  By 1500, Gaelic chieftains were back in control of most of the territory, with the exception of the area around Dublin, known as “The Pale”, still under the English [3]: although it went through a period of decline, the castle did not lose its role of outpost protecting the north-western frontier of “The Pale” [3].
  After the decline, the castle first got refortified during the Irish Confederate Wars in the 1640s [2]. Then, it played an important role in the Second English Civil War when after the siege of Drogheda (1649), the Royalist garrison of Trim fled to join other Irish forces and the Trim fortress was occupied by the Parliamentarian army of Oliver Cromwell [2, 9]. After the wars of the 1680s, the castle was granted to the Wellesley family who held it until Arthur Wellesley (the Duke of Wellington), sold it to the Leslies [2]. In the following years it passed into the hands of the Dunsany Plunketts, who held the castle till 1993, when it was sold to the Irish State [2]. However, the family still retains the hunting and fishing rights to the estate [2].
  Worth to mention that around Trim castle there are also other important monuments that can be discovered. An example is the Sheep Gate, which gave access to the village of Trim and was called so as a toll was charged for sheep to pass through to market [1]. Another one is the beautiful remain of the yellow steeple of St Mary’s Augustine Abbey, which was alleged to have been destroyed by Oliver Cromwell [9].
  The reader who is passionate about movies might be interested in knowing that Trim castle offered the perfect setting to The Big Red One (1980) and Braveheart (1995) [1-3, 5, 9].
And what about the reader passionate of history: do we have any tasty bites? Of course, we do. The origins of the first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815 among other commanders, are linked to Trim, in particular to Dangan Castle, belonging to his family, and where perhaps the Duke was born in 1769 (place and date are actually disputed). A 23m high column (the Wellington Memorial) can be also visited, erected in honour of the famous Duke in 1817.

References


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Tips

  A significant piece of Irish history, very well preserved and fully accessible to everyone interested in listening to its tales. Considered the country's largest Anglo-Norman castle, Trim is a spectacular fortress, located right in the heart of Ireland's Ancient East. It took thirty years to have it built, so it is no wonder the construction is a masterpiece.
The access inside the curtain walls is free, but for visiting the keep you need to purchase a ticket. You will be offered a very interesting guided tour that will resurface a lot of hidden stories, important moments in the history and you will be spoiled with a spectacular view from the top.
  The personnel is very passionate and knowledgeable, helpful and kind. Same feeling we got from the staff working at the book store, inside the tourist information office, just before entering the premises of the castle. We enjoyed listening to the information they were providing. They had so much to share: what is worth a visit, how to reach the places and much more. That's how we found out about Wellington's statue, the commander who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.
As you walk the paths of the castle you might have a déjà vu: the surroundings offered the perfect scenery to Braveheart, the epic historical movie, directed by and starring Mel Gibson in 1995.