Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [477]
Trim Castle Hotel ( 046-948 3000; www.trimcastlehotel.com; Castle St; s/d from €165/180; ) This stylish new boutique hotel is part of a development that is spiffing up an area close to the castle. The 68 rooms here have wi-fi and a compact but comfortable modern design. Check for special offers online.
Eating & Drinking
Silver Swan Cafe (046-943 8478; Market St; meals €5-9; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat) For a simple snack or cake and a coffee, head to this bright and cosy cafe in the centre of town. You’ll also get a range of soups and sandwiches as well as more hearty but predictable mains.
Wau Asian ( 046-948 3873; Bridge St; mains €9-15; 5-11.30pm daily, 12.30-2.30pm Thu & Fri, 1.30-3.30pm Sun) Upstairs from the Sally Rodgers pub, this place serves an extensive menu of interesting Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian and Thai food. After your meal pop into the pub below for a drink overlooking the river.
La Scala ( 046-948 3236; Finnegan’s Way; mains €10-16; 5-10pm Mon-Thu, 1-10pm Fri-Sun) Trim’s newest restaurant is a bright, modern place serving classic Italian food. Choose from a decent range of pizzas and pastas or go for the four-course early bird special (€18.95, 5pm to 7pm) to taste a full range of kitchen goodies.
Franzini O’Brien’s ( 046-943 1002; French’s Lane; mains €12-20; 6.30-10pm Tue-Sat, 1-8.30pm Sun) Modern and spacious, this relaxed but buzzing place is a local favourite, with an international menu featuring everything from nachos to teriyaki chicken and excellent seafood.
Brogan’s Beacon ( 046-943 1237; www.brogans.ie; High St; mains €13-19; noon-9pm) This popular restaurant serves country-style comfort food for adoring locals. The menu is fairly predictable with hearty chicken, salmon and pasta dishes, the odd risotto and the usual array of steaks and burgers. It won’t win any awards, but may just satisfy a niggling craving. There’s also a bar menu for lighter snacks.
Marcy Regan’s (David’s Lad; 046-943 6103; Lackanash Rd, Newtown, Trim; Thu-Tue) This small, traditional pub beside St Peter’s Bridge claims to be Ireland’s second-oldest. It’s a no frills kind of place just steeped in old world atmosphere. There’s often a trad music session on Friday nights.
Getting There & Around
Bus Éireann runs a bus at least once an hour between Dublin and Trim (€10.30, 70 minutes). Buses stop on New Rd just beyond the bridge.
If you fancy stretching your legs to see the sights, Country Cycles ( 046-948 3838; Unit 4, Emmet St Car Park; per hr/day €5/20) has a variety of bikes for hire.
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AROUND TRIM
There are a couple of evocative Anglo-Norman remains in the area around Trim. Bective Abbey was founded in 1147 and was the first Cistercian offspring of magnificent Mellifont Abbey in Louth. The abbey at Bective was much changed in the following years and the remains seen today are 13th- and 15th-century additions, consisting of the chapter house, church, ambulatory and cloister. In 1543, after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the abbey was used as a fortified house and the tower was built. Bective is 7.5km northeast of Trim on the way to Navan.
Some 12km northwest of Trim, on the road to Athboy, is Rathcairn, the smallest Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) district in Ireland. Rathcairn’s population is descended from a group of Connemara Irish speakers who were settled on an estate here as part of a social experiment in the 1930s.
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KELLS
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Kells is best known for the magnificent illuminated manuscript that bears its name, and which so many visitors queue to see on their visit to Trinity College in Dublin. Although the great book wasn’t created here, it was stashed in Kells, one of the leading monasteries in the country, from the end of the 9th century until 1541, when it was removed by