Trim

Trim is a town in County Meath, Ireland. It is situated on the River Boyne and has a population of 9,194. The town is noted for Trim Castle – the largest Cambro-Norman castle in Ireland. One of the two cathedrals of the United Dioceses of Meath and Kildare — St Patrick’s cathedral — is located north of the river. Trim won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition in 1972, 1984, and 2014 and was the “joint” winner with Ballyconnell in 1974. Traditionally Trim was the county town of Meath, but this title was passed on over time onto larger, neighbouring town Navan.

Places of interest

Viewed from the castle’s southern curtain wall.Trim courthouseSheep’s gate in the morning

St Patrick’s church (Roman Catholic), Church Street
St. Patrick’s cathedral church (Church of Ireland), Loman Street. It is reputed to be the oldest Anglican Church in Ireland (disputed by a church in Armagh which claims its 20 years older than the Trim Church). The original church lies in ruins behind the current newer church which faces onto Loman Street from behind a large boundary wall.
Trim Castle, the largest Cambro-Norman castle in Ireland which was built by Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath. It was used in the production of the film Braveheart and the 1980 movie The Big Red One, starring Lee Marvin and Mark Hamill, was also partially shot in Trim and in particular at Trim Castle.
The Town Hall, known locally as the Market House, is reputed to have been one of Thin Lizzy’s first concert venues, and has seen U2 and several other noted bands play there over the years.
The yellow steeple (named so for the way the sun sets and rises on it in the giving it a yellow colour), the remains of a 14th-century St. Mary’s Abbey on a hillside near the town centre, is the tallest building in Trim and can be seen for kilometres around the town.
Trim Town Walls – Though not much remains of the original walls of Trim, the “Sheep Gate” stands near the ‘yellow steeple’ and the castle. The wall in this area is in ruins but it marks the original town boundary, the only intact part of the wall stands on Loman Street It is not marked by any signs but it starts around the front of St. Patrick’s Anglican church and runs down to the local ‘Costa Coffee’ (prev. The Priory Inn.)
The Black Friary – A 13th century Dominican friary located just outside the town walls. The excavation of the remains of the friary is part of the Blackfriary Community archaeology project.
The Boyne river walk is a walkway along the river Boyne starting at the castle park and running along the Boyne to Newtown abbey. The total walk to Newtown and back takes about 40mins.
Newtown Abbey lies on the banks of the Boyne about 15min walk from Trim Castle. It once was the largest abbey of its kind in Ireland. It is still used as a graveyard for the town so there are no guided tours but there are many information boards with pictures of what certain areas used to look like.
St. John’s Priory, a medieval hospital, lies across the Boyne from Newtown abbey. This structure is again free access. At the entrance there is a defence tower which used to form part of the walls of the hospital.
Trim Circuit Courthouse – Built in the 19th century, the courthouse overlooks the main street of the town. Recently extended with an award-winning design, the courthouse is located next to the main entrance of the castle.
Brú Brewery- International award-winning craft brewery based in the Trim, Co. Meath. Brewing the finest quality hand crafted beer using locally sourced ingredients.
Wellington Monument – Wellington was born in Ireland and spent some of his childhood near Trim. It takes the form of a column surmounted by a statue of the Duke, and was erected in 1817.

Events

Trim Vintage and Veteran Car Show

An annual classic car show takes place in Trim every July, Trim Veteran and Vintage Rally has been running since 1985. It started in a small yard on Loman Street with just 1 car. The founder, Norman Pratt, along with his hand-picked committee, were determined to expand the show, approached the Roundtree family who allowed the Porch Fields to be used on the day. The committee included secretary Ms. Iris Wilson, PRO Frank Dempsey, Billy Wilson, and George Douglas. It has grown each year since then and there are now in excess of 500 cars and motorcycles on show. Visitors to the show can also try their hand at archery with Athboy Archery Club. The archery has always been a big success at the fair.

Trim Haymaking Festival

Trim Haymaking Festival is held in the town every mid-June. The Porchfields, an amenity space rich in historic value, are home to a fair, market, and cultural displays. The main event is the traditional making of the first hay of the year by hand and by old-style machinery. Visitors to the show can also try their hand at archery with Athboy Archery Club. The archery has always been a big success at the fair.

Trim Swift Festival

Because of Jonathan Swift‘s residence near Trim after 1700, a satirical festival is held in his honour.

Trim Poetry Festival

Trim Poetry Festival began in March 2019 and was organised by Boyne Writers’ Group. During the festival Boyne Berries, a journal of poetry and short fiction, was published on the occasion of its 25th issue. The winner of Trim Poetry Competition 2019 was also announced. The Festival will return again in March 2020 and is being organised by a festival committee of Boyne Writers’ Group members including Michael Farry, Orla Fay, Frances Browne, Barbara Flood, Anne Crinion, Tom Dredge and Sinéad MacDevitt.

Royal Meath Show

The Royal Meath Show takes place annually in Porchfield on the first Sunday in September each year. 1929 was the first show. The main events of this agricultural show are judging cattle, sheep, goats, horses, dogs and home industries. The Artisan Area includes a cookery demonstration by a celebrity Chef, an Artisan Food Area, and an Artisan Craft Area. The Meath Environmental Network have talks on many environmental issues. The Heritage Demo Area includes wool weaving, hand shearing, knitting, milking the cow, making butter, basket weaving and many more. The Royal Bee Association have their annual show, there is also a vintage display.