Trim Castle: Ireland’s largest Anglo-Norman Castle can be visited on a day trip from Dublin!

The Trim Castle is Ireland’s largest Anglo-Norman castle, with an area of 30,000 m². That entire area was used by the royals and the ecclesiastics in medieval times, whilst the site of the castle is on raised ground, offering a good view of the River Boyne. At that time, that river was navigable. The best part is that Trim Castle is 40 minutes by car from the Dublin Airport; 1 hour by car and 2 hours by bus from the Dublin city centre.

I went there on a Saturday, invited by my boyfriend, who is fond of History. Unfortunately, he is also fond of waking up early: at 9 am (!!!) we hit the road to County Meath, where the castle is based.

I can’t tell you how long we took to arrive there: we stopped first by the Clonfert Pet Farm in County Kildare. This is a mini zoo and a farm with some activities like mini golf, football, a zipline, a picnic area, three playgrounds, and a cafe.

I gotta say: it is a family place and there were children everywhere. Even though I had fun in the mini zoo (which was free of charge, but you must book other activities from there), some of the animals I saw for the first time, like deer and meerkats!

Then, we came back to the road. Ireland’s countryside is something magical: the landscapes are so striking and have such a peaceful vibe that it is perfectly understandable why the Celts believed in fairies and gnomes living in the forests!

Even Trim, the town, has lovely streets that could have come from romantic movies. That’s the case of the street where the Trim Castle is:

Yes, we had finally reached Trim Castle! Although it’s not that big, it was my first time in front of a real medieval castle, so it was still interesting! We took around one hour to appreciate its grounds and read the panels telling its History.

The Lord of Meath, Hugh de Lacy, was the one who decided to build the three-storey keep, which is a tower with a cruciform shape and twenty corners. The construction was initiated in 1174. But it took over 30 years until it was finished: Hugh de Lacy’s son, Walter, took part in its construction between 1196 and 1201-5. You can see a statue of Hugh de Lacy in the corner of the castle (and take a picture beside it!).

The whole story of the de Lacy family and the castle has some interesting points that you can read here.

A few steps away from the castle, you can find Ireland’s oldest complete and unaltered bridge, built across the River Boyne in 1393.

As Trim town is very close to Dublin, we could have come back on the same day. Instead, we went for a car trip in the parks and spent a wonderful time at a lovely log cabin!

By the way, this cabin deserves a strong recommendation as well: located inside an Irish family’s land, it’s completely quiet and perfect to be away from civilization for a while!

You will only see grass and sheep from its windows. Also, it is cosy, charming, clean, and so well-equipped that you will feel like asking them how much it costs to live there! If you are a nature-lover like us, feel free to reach the owner through their Airbnb page.

Ready for a short trip from Dublin? Plan your visit to Trim Castle:

Opening times are:

Every day, 10 am-5 pm from the 17th of March to the 30th of September;
Every day, 9:30 am-4:30 pm from early February to the 16th of March and in October;
Weekends, 9 am-4 pm from November to early February.

The last admission is 30 minutes before closing time, including for the grounds. There are gates there and after they are closed, you can only see the castle from the outside! Access to the grounds is free and you can read the panels telling curiosities about the castle.

However, there is a guided tour of its interior, which takes one hour and is charged as follows:

Adult: €5.00
Group/Senior: €4.00
Child/Student: €3.00
Family: €13.00

You can bring your pets (on leads, please!) to the grounds only; If you have a disability, your access to the castle is restricted due to the narrow and steep staircases. However, it is okay to go to the grounds.

There is no parking on-site, but you'll find on-street parking in front of it. This parking is charged and its card payment wasn’t working at the time, so we had to use coins. If you don’t have coins, you can change your money at the Euronics store, right in front of the castle. The closest cafe is in the Trim Castle Hotel right in front of it, but there are plenty of others in Trim Town.

As I have mentioned, the Trim Castle can be reached even by bus, hence it’s close enough for a day trip from Dublin. But if you don’t wanna go by yourself, or would like to go to even more places in Ireland’s countryside, feel free to reach us through our social channels: we, from Nomad Éire, have MeetUps in Dublin, and a Digital Nomad Conference coming soon in County Kerry! Come explore Ireland with us!