Historic visitor trail throught Trim launched

An historic trail through one of County Meath's most historic towns was launched last Friday at the Trim Visitor Centre. The trail commences at the Trim Visitor Centre, where a map can be obtained, and it includes 22 historic points around the heritage town of Trim. Trim boasts a long and interesting history and this history is very well profiled in the new Trim Historic Trail. The town is dominated by medieval ruins and its foundation dates as far back as 433 AD. At that time, St Patrick chose Trim as the location for one of his churches and Trim has remained an important town ever since. One of the most significant points in the town's history was in the 12th century, during Norman power, when Hugh de Lacy chose Trim for the site of the magnificent Trim Castle. With such a wealth of historic sites in the town, Trim Town Council and Meath County Council wanted to harness this and provide an historic trail that visitors and locals alike could follow to learn more about the history of the town. The Trim Historic Trail forms part of an initiative introduced by Failte Ireland last year which made funding available to assist the council to provide a range of tourist signage along a self-guided historic trail. Speaking at the launch, cathaoirleach Trim Town Council, Cllr Ray Butler, said: "The trail will, no doubt, prove to be very popular with the many thousands of people who visit Trim and the castle each year. I have no doubt that this initiative will further enhance the attractiveness of the town as a visitor location and improve the overall tourism product on offer." The trail commences at the visitor centre and includes a series of dark green plaques and panels which locals and visitors can follow in an anti-clockwise direction around the town. There is a map panel located outside the visitor centre which marks the first point and the trail takes you around the 22 historic points, returning to the centre. Trim Town Manager Kevin Stewart said: "The launch of this historic trail is another piece in the jigsaw which aims towards Trim becoming one of the premier historic towns in the country." The launch was followed by an historical tour of Trim by local historian Noel French, which was attended by locals and tourism providers. The trail will be promoted by Meath Tourism to attract leisure visitors to Trim.