Even more Ireland fun - Day 4

Hey all - It's Day 4 (July 22nd) of my trip across the pond. On this lovely sunny day, Heather and I traveled from County Kildare to County Meath to visit Trim Castle and the Hill of Tara.  First - a view of Trim Castle from outside its bordering walls:

The Castle is a massive 12th century Anglo-Norman edifice with guided tours available much of the year. The entire wall didn't survive as you'll see in other photos. You can see the scale of it from the bit of a parked car (not Heather's) I caught in the photo. Had to laugh - you pay to get in and I got a senior rate (age 60 - which I've achieved) but Sir at the desk was incredulous. He gave it to me but was convinced I was 50 - LOL. Must've been my youthful companion who, again, didn't want to be photographed.... Next, the castle with a view of the visitor entrance - obviously built in modern times.

Inside the entrance there was a lobby area where the Castle guests would leave their armor and weapons. Our young guide dramatically locked the huge wooden door (presumably so those who didn't pay didn't slip in!). We went into a large center area with three models of the castle with different enhancements various owners had made. I got most of this on my camcorder. We traveled to the top via a narrow circular stairway with 85 steps - luckily there was a rope along one wall to hang on!! The stairs are the size of 12th century feet; needless to say I was extra careful given my BIG feet!!

Next a couple views from the top - the first is a view of the grounds and surrounds. We parked in the you can see just outside the walls. The tan floor you see within the wall was once a banquet hall that past owners built when they needed something more grand. There's some kind of cellar at the bottom right corner; we didn't go in there!! Off in the distance you can see part of a tower known as the Yellow Tower. It was damaged back in the day by a cannon fired by Cromwell and they just left it that way!

Next, a view from atop the castle looking the opposite direction of St Patrick's Cathedral built in 1803, a new building compared to many I visited!!

Coming down the 85 steps, I was being cautious as were others. Kid about age 8 behind us with his parents really wanted to race down. "Mom, can't we go faster?" was the frequent plea. Mom nicely explained that we had to go slow so we didn't slip and fall. This same kid went to stand in the enormous fireplace in the old banquet hall. Tour guide told him he would've been roasting in a fire back in the day & he jumped right out - so cute. One last photo - a view of the back of the castle:

Wish I would've asked what those stone forms are at the base - might have been one of the defense walls to prevent intruders from putting ladders up against the side. And I believe the trench you see was called the ditch. The moat was outside the wall if I remember right. Behind me and to the right of the castle there's a small river where supplies could be delivered by boat.

Guess I'll share the Hill of Tara in another post since this one's getting full..... Thanks for stopping!