Good times at Trim Castle!

Sheep Gate

This town gate was built in the late 14th Century.  It is the only one still standing.  This is across the river from the Castle, on the side of St. Mary's Abbey.

Trim Castle River Walk

There is a long path along the River Boyne and a path that circles around the castle as well.  The River Boyne is close to the castle as you can see in the drawing of the river and the walled castle.  There is a swampy area close to the castle as well, and it would appear that at times the river could come all the way up to the castle wall.  It would be a lovely walk along the river and there were people running the path as well.

Trim Castle

This is Trim Castle.  According to my booklet from Beaner, Essential Ireland, it is the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland.  It was also used in the filming of Braveheart!

You will see I only have pictures of the outside of the Castle.  That's because we went there on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and tours are weekends only at this time of year.  Fortunately, Steve, Jeff, Zach and I were going with the flow and so enjoyed the trek around the castle grounds and the lovely village of Trim.

Note to Self:  In the future, be sure to assist Steve in scheduling tours and trips to see the ruins....

A Hunger for Knowledge

This was a sculpture we saw as we walked toward Trim Castle.  It is  made out of bog wood.  Sometimes when you walk around a bog, you can see trees that are buried or steeped in the peat and the wood gets preserved by the acidity of the peat bog.  The wood can be hundreds or even thousands of years old, and it is protected from decay by the bog, though the tree itself, does not go on living.  The  wood is remarkable in color, hardness, and age.

Donore Castle (Fort of Pride)

This was a tower house we saw on our way to Trim.  There are a lot of ruins in Ireland that you just spot as you are driving.  This one, fortunately, had the information available.  Some don't have any info at all!  We did not walk through the pasture to the tower house because, as you can see, there was a very large bull in the field.  Jeff actually stepped over the fence to take his photos, which I thought was very brave.  Obviously, you won't catch me in Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls!

Thanksgiving Dinner

Had a lovely Thanksgiving!  Haley took the day off, we baked a pumpkin pie, we produced a stuffing using a combination of spices that hit close to the poultry seasoning from back home, and the turkey was fabulous!  No football, but we did watch a movie.  Also talked to some family on FaceTime and that was grand!  Great day.  Thankful for Jeff coming to visit, thankful for this move to Ireland and the adventures we are having, and thankful to be able to communicate with those we love back home!