This story / page is available in: German

 

 

Ireland Photo Story of the Week: Every Tuesday, our friend Kevin Balanda is sharing a special photo from Ireland and telling its story here on Irlandnews. Kevin worked in Dublin for many years and now lives in West Cork. He enjoys taking his camera with him wherever he goes. This week we visit County Meath:

A mighty fortification arising out of bloody conflicts between Anglo-Norman barons and Irish High Kings

Trim Castle is the largest and best-preserved Anglo-Norman fortification in Ireland. This montage focuses on some of its key features; its full grandeur can only really be appreciated from a higher vantage point.

The town of Trim in Co Meath is an important crossing point of the River Boyne. By the fifth century an Irish chieftain’s fort and an early monastery were already sited there. Shortly after the arrival of the Anglo-Normans in Ireland, King Henry II feared that one of his barons, Richard de Clare (“Strongbow”), might set up a rival Anglo-Norman kingdom in Ireland. To counter Strongbow’s powerbase, King Henry II gave Meath to another of his barons, Hugh de Lacy, who decided to make Trim the centre of his newly acquired lordship. 

Trim Castle was built in 1172 when de Lacy converted the existing ringfort into a wooden castle with a spiked stockade. In 1174, Rory O’Connor (the last High King of Ireland) attacked and destroyed the wooden castle. Recognising their vulnerabilty, de Lacy and his son Walter then began work  that lasted several decades on what was to become the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland. Initially a stone keep (a tower), this was remodeled and then surrounded by curtain walls and a moat. The wall, punctuated by several towers and a gatehouse, fortified an area of about 3 acres. 

Most of the castle visible today was completed by 1220.

 

 

Photographic specifications: The photos in this montage were taken with various were taken with various focal lengths and exposure settings. They were edited in Lightroom.

© Kevin Balanda

 

This story / page is available in: German