Location: Trim, Meath County Map
Constructed: 11th century by Hugh de Lacy
Trim Castle is one of the largest and impressive medieval fortresses in Ireland. Trim Castle situated in a town of Trim in Meath County. It was erected in 11th century by Hugh de Lacy.
Initially, in 1172, the
Norman knight Hugo de Lacy built a wooden fort on this site,
which was burned a year later during the raid of Rory O`Connor,
King Connaught. In 1174, Hugo de Lacy began to build a stone
castle. His son, Walter de Lacy, continued the construction, and
it was completed only at the beginning of the XIII century.
under Hugh’s grandson, Jeffrey de Geneville, who turned Trim
into Ireland’s largest Norman military fortress with a unique
three-tier donjon. Having completed the construction, Geoffrey
founded a monastery near the castle and tonsured monks.
Trim was equipped with the so-called "killer hole" - a special
hole above the western gate. If an uninvited guest appeared at
the gate, a grid blocking the retreat fell down behind him, and
a stream of boiling oil, excrement or stones fell from the hole
in the ceiling. A similar trap was set up at Carrickfergus
Castle.
At the end of the XIII century. Joanna de Geneville married
Roger Mortimer, and so Trim became the property of this family
name. To the XV century the family of Mortimers was interrupted,
and the castle passed under the care of the crown. Richard II
granted his two pupils (including the future king Henry V) the
right to live in the castle, and in 1399 imprisoned his cousin
Heinrich Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster, in the prison tower of
the castle. The exile of the duke did not last long - he soon
returned to England, raised a rebellion and became king Henry
IV. On the castle territory were found 10 decapitated corpses -
the remains of less fortunate prisoners. They were probably
robbers and victims of Edward IV's decree of 1465, according to
which the robbers should be beheaded, and their heads put on
public display.
Until the XV century the Royal Mint was located in the castle, and in 1649 Trim suffered the fate of many other English castles - it was badly damaged during the siege by Cromwell’s troops. At the end of the war, Trim and surrounding lands became the property of the Wellington family. Subsequently, the Wellington descendant, Arthur Wellsley, sold the castle to the Plunkett family, who owned the castle until 1993, when Trim acquired the state. Soon after, restoration and archaeological work began in the castle, and in 2000 the castle was opened to visitors.