Trim Castle, the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland, was constructed over a thirty-year period by Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter. Hugh de Lacy was granted the Liberty of Meath by King Henry II in 1172 in an attempt to curb the expansionist policies of Richard de Clare, (Strongbow).
Construction of the massive three storied Keep, the central stronghold of the castle, was begun c. 1176 on the site of an earlier wooden fortress. This massive twenty-sided tower, which is cruciform in shape, was protected by a ditch, curtain wall and moat.
In medieval times, Trim Castle stood like an imposing stone sentinel and powerful symbol of Norman strength at the edge of the Pale - the small area of Anglo-Norman influence on Ireland’s eastern coast.
To go beyond the Pale was to enter the hostile world of the Gaelic Irish.
Here at the edge, the two sides would have met - in conflict and in battle.
Trim Castle was the shooting location for the epic thriller movie ‘Braveheart’.
Reference: http://www.meath.ie/tourism/heritage/heritagesites/trimcastle/