Ireland's largest and best-preserved Anglo-Norman castle — a monumental 20-sided keep with 3-metre-thick walls, surrounded by a curtain wall and moat on the banks of the River Boyne. Also famous as a filming location for *Braveheart*.
The only way inside the massive three-storey keep is with an OPW guide. You'll climb narrow spiral stairs, cross modern walkways suspended over the interior, see a small chapel and exhibition models, and finish on the rooftop with panoramic views over Trim and the Boyne Valley. Tours run frequently but cannot be booked in advance.
The grounds are free to roam and cover about 3 acres within the curtain wall. Interpretation panels explain the layout: find the Barbican Gate, the River Gate, the foundations of de Geneville's Great Hall, and the remains of the moat. Keep an eye out for the put-log holes — remnants of medieval wooden hoardings.
A lovely walking trail runs along the opposite bank of the River Boyne, offering the best photo angles of the castle reflected in the water. You can also spot the medieval Sheep Gate and the Yellow Steeple — remnants of Trim's walled-town past.
Inside the keep's ground floor there are display models and information panels covering the castle's construction phases and its role through centuries of Irish history — from de Lacy's lordship to the Wars of the Roses.
Trim Castle doubled as several Scottish and English castles in Mel Gibson's 1995 epic *Braveheart*. The keep and curtain walls featured heavily — fans will recognise the barbican gate and the riverside battlements. It was also used in the 1980 film *The Big Red One*.
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