Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Find the even taller cross nearest the tower. It seems the top section was broken off and
buried for a period, which protected it from weathering. The bottom part remained stand-
ing, enduring the erosive effect of Irish weather, which smeared the once-crisp features.
The door to the round tower was originally 15-20 feet above the ground (accessible by
ladder). After centuries of burials, the ground level has risen.
The sleepy, workaday town of Trim, straddling the River Boyne, is marked by the tower-
ing ruins of Trim Castle. Trim feels littered with mighty ruins that seem to say, “This
little town was big-time...750 years ago.” The tall Yellow Steeple (over the river from
the castle) is all that remains of the 14th-century Augustinian Abbey of St. Mary. Not far
away, the Sheep's Gate is a humble remnant of the once-grand medieval town walls. Near
the town center, the modest, 30-foot-tall Wellington Column honors native son Arthur
Wellesley, the First Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), who spent his childhood in Trim,
defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, and twice became prime minister.
