Sights in County Meath
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Talbot Castle
Part of the abbey was converted in 1415 into a fine manor house by Sir John Talbot, then viceroy of Ireland; it came to be known as Talbot Castle. The Talbot coat of arms can be seen on the northern wall. Talbot went to war in France, where in 1429 he was defeated at Orleans by none other than Joan of Arc. He was taken prisoner, released and went on fighting the French until 1453.
He was known as 'the scourge of France' or 'the whip of the French', and Shakespeare wrote of this notorious man in Henry VI: 'Is this the Talbot so much feared abroad/That with his name the mothers still their babes?'. Talbot Castle was owned in the early 18th century by Esther 'Stella' Johnson…
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Dunsany Castle
See how the other 1% lives at Dunsany Castle ,the residence of the lords of Dunsany and one of the oldest continually inhabited buildings in Ireland. Construction started on the castle in the 12th century, with major alterations taking place in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Today the castle houses an impressive private art collection and many other treasures related to important figures in Irish history, such as Oliver Plunkett and Patrick Sarsfield, leader of the Irish Jacobite forces at the siege of Limerick in 1691. A guided tour takes almost two hours and offers a fascinating insight into the family history as well as that of the castle. It remains a family home, and ma…
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Newgrange
Even from afar, you know that Newgrange is something special. Its white round stone walls topped by a grass dome look otherworldly, and just the size is impressive: 80m in diameter and 13m high. But underneath it gets even better. Here lies the finest Stone Age passage tomb in Ireland, and one of the most remarkable prehistoric sites in Europe. It dates from around 3200 BC, predating the pyramids by some six centuries.
No one is quite sure of its original purpose. It could have been a burial place for kings or a centre for ritual – although the tomb's precise alignment with the sun at the time of the winter solstice also suggests it was designed to act as a calendar.
The …
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St Mary's Abbey
Across the River Boyne from the castle are the ruins of the 12th-century Augustinian St Mary's Abbey, rebuilt after a fire in 1368 and once home to a wooden statue of Our Lady of Trim, which was revered by the faithful for its miraculous powers. In 1649 Cromwell's soldiers set fire to the statue in front of their injured commander, General Croot, a rather poignant slap in the face of Catholic belief. Just in case the locals didn't get the symbolism of the gesture, the soldiers destroyed the abbey as well. An artists' rendition of the statue is by the roadside in front of the ruins.
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Ledwidge Museum
Simple yet moving, the Ledwidge Museum is located in a quaint cottage that was the birthplace of poet Francis Ledwidge (1891–1917). He died on the battlefield at Ypres, having survived Gallipoli and Serbia. A keen political activist, Ledwidge was thwarted in his efforts to set up a branch of the Gaelic League in the area, but found an outlet in verse.
The museum provides an insight into Ledwidge's life and works, and the cottage itself is an evocative example of how farm labourers lived in the 19th century. It is about 1.5km east of Slane on the Drogheda road (N51). Opening hours can be erratic – call ahead.
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Loughcrew Historic Garden
A labour of love, the recently restored Loughcrew Historic Garden incorporates 6 acres of lawns, terraces and herbaceous borders along with a lime avenue, yew walk, canal and parterre. There’s also a medieval moat, tower house and St Oliver Plunkett’s family church. At the end of May each year the gardens play host to the Loughcrew Opera, where guests are encouraged to dress in period costume and bring a picnic or stay for dinner. Loughcrew Gardens are northwest of Kells, along the R154, near Oldcastle.
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Battle of Boyne Site
More than 60,000 soldiers of the armies of King James II and King William III fought on this patch of farmland on the border of Counties Meath and Louth in 1690. In the end, William prevailed and James sailed off to France.
Today, the battle site is part of the Oldbridge Estate farm. At the visitor centre you can watch a short show about the battle, see original and replica weaponry of the time and explore a laser battlefield model. Self-guided walks through the parkland and battle site allow ample time to ponder the events that saw Protestant interests remain in Ireland. Costumed re-enactments take place in summer.
The battle site is 3km north of Donore, signposted off the…
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St Colmcille's House
From the churchyard exit on Church St, St Colmcille's House is left up the hill, among the row of houses on the right side of Church Lane. This squat, solid structure is a survivor from the old monastic settlement. Its name is a misnomer, as it was built in the 10th century and St Colmcille was alive in the 6th century. Experts have suggested that it was used as a scriptorium, a place where monks illuminated books.
The site is usually locked except during the summer months, but ask at the tourist office about the keys or phone Mrs Carpenter for access.
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parish church of Newtown Clonbun
About 1.5km east of town on Lackanash Rd, Newtown Cemetery contains an interesting group of ruins. What had been the parish church of Newtown Clonbun contains the late-16th-century tomb of Sir Luke Dillon, chief baron of the Exchequer during the reign of Elizabeth I, and his wife Lady Jane Bathe. The effigies are known locally as the Jealous Man and Woman, perhaps because of the sword lying between them.
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Trim Castle
This remarkably preserved edifice was Ireland's largest Anglo-Norman fortification and is proof of Trim's medieval importance. Hugh de Lacy founded Trim Castle in 1173, but Rory O'Connor, said to have been the last high king of Ireland, destroyed this motte and bailey within a year. The building you see today was begun around 1200 and has hardly been modified since.
Throughout Anglo-Norman times the castle occupied a strategic position on the western edge of the Pale, the area where the Anglo-Normans ruled supreme; beyond Trim was the volatile country where Irish chieftains and lords fought with their Norman rivals and vied for position, power and terrain. By the 16th cent…
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Crutched Friary
Southeast of Newtown Abbey and the Cathdral of Sts Peter and Paul ruins, and just over the river, is the Crutched Friary. There are ruins of a keep, and traces of a watchtower and other buildings from a hospital set up after the Crusades by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, who wore a red crutch (cross), on their cassocks.
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Cairn T
Cairn T is the biggest site at Carnbane East at about 35m in diameter, with numerous carved stones. One of its outlying kerbstones is called the Hag’s Chair, and is covered in gouged holes, circles and other markings. You need the gate key to enter the passageway and a torch to see anything in detail.
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St Columba
The Protestant church of St Columba, west of the town centre, has a 30m-high 10th-century round tower on the southern side. It’s without its conical roof, but it’s known to date back at least as far as 1076, when the high king of Tara was murdered in its confined apartments.
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Sheep Gate
Part of the 14th-century town wall stands in the field to the east of the abbey, including the Sheep Gate, the lone survivor of the town's original five gates. It used to be closed daily between 21:00 and 04:00, and a toll was charged for sheep entering to be sold at market.
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Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul
Ruins at Newtown Cemetery include Newtown's Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul. The cathedral was founded in 1206 and burned down two centuries later. Parts of the cathedral wall were flattened by a storm in 1839, which also damaged sections of the Trim Castle wall.
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Yellow Steeple
Just northwest of the St Mary's Abbey building is the 40m Yellow Steeple, once the bell tower of the abbey, dating from 1368 but damaged by Cromwell's soldiers in 1649. It takes its name from the colour of the stonework at dusk.
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Trim Heritage Centre
Sharing space in the town hall with the tourist office is the informative Trim Heritage Centre, where you can watch a 20-minute video outlining the medieval history of Trim. There’s a coffee shop here, too.
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Slane Castle
Still the private residence of Henry Conyngham, Earl of Mountcharles, Slane Castle is best known in Ireland as the setting for massive outdoor rock concerts, such as Kings of Leon in 2011. U2's 1984 album The Unforgettable Fire was recorded here (though the castle featured on the album cover is in Moydrum in County Westmeath) and the band have returned to play several occasions in the castle grounds.
Built in 1785 in the Gothic-revival style by James Wyatt, the building was later altered by Francis Johnson for George IV's visits to Lady Conyngham. She was allegedly his mistress, and it's said the road between Dublin and Slane was built especially straight and smooth to spe…
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Dowth
The circular mound at Dowth is similar in size to Newgrange – about 63m in diameter – but is slightly taller at 14m high. It has suffered badly at the hands of everyone from road builders and treasure hunters to amateur archaeologists, who scooped out the centre of the tumulus in the 19th century. For a time, Dowth even had a tearoom ignobly perched on its summit. Relatively untouched by modern archaeologists, Dowth shows what Newgrange and Knowth looked like for most of their history. Because it's unsafe, Dowth is closed to visitors, though the mound can be viewed from the road between Newgrange and Drogheda. Excavations began in 1998 and will continue for years to come.…
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St Patrick's Church
Almost everything commercial in Trim is on or near Market St. That huge steeple you see just south belongs to St Patrick's Church, parts of which date to the 15th century.
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Meath Heritage Centre
The Meath Heritage Centre has an extensive genealogical database for people trying to trace Meath ancestors. Write in advance for the best results.
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Newtown Abbey
Ruins at Newtown Cemetery include the 18th-century Newtown Abbey (Abbey of the Canons Regular of St Victor of Paris).
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St Peter's Bridge
St Peter's Bridge, beside the Crutched friary, is said to be the second-oldest bridge in Ireland.
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Echo Gate
The abbey wall throws a superb echo back to Echo Gate across the river.
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Wellington Column
The local burghers dedicated this column to Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, in recognition of his impressive career: after defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, the Iron Duke went on to become prime minister of Great Britain and in 1829 passed the Catholic Emancipation Act, repealing the last of the repressive penal laws.
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