The Sheep Gate and Trim's Town Walls
About
Trim was a walled town, and the Sheep Gate is all that is left of the gates: a single arch of the medieval wall standing on the north bank between the Yellow Steeple and the river meadows, with a tollgate history and a name that says what came through it. It is a two-minute detour off the river walk and it is easy to pass without noticing, which is a fair summary of how the town wears its medieval fabric. Stretches of the wall itself survive in fragments elsewhere, notably near Castle Street and Emmet Street, usually built into later boundaries. Nothing is ticketed or gated. It is free, open at all hours and the sort of thing a Trim person will point out only if you ask.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓The last surviving medieval town gate in Trim
- ✓Fragments of the thirteenth-century wall near Castle Street and Emmet Street
- ✓Directly on the Porchfields river walk
- ✓Open at all hours, no gate and no ticket
Tips
- →It is small and easy to walk past. Look for the free-standing arch on the path, not for a building.
- →Combine it with the Yellow Steeple; they are a few minutes apart on the same side of the river.
- →There is no lighting on this stretch, so it is a daylight stop.
Best Season
More Attraction Activities
Trim Castle
The largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland, with free open grounds in the middle of town and a cruciform keep you can only see on an OPW guided tour.
The Yellow Steeple and St Mary's Abbey
The jagged bell tower of St Mary's Augustinian Abbey, the tallest structure in Trim, standing on the ridge across the river from the castle. Viewed from outside only.
Newtown Trim and the Priory of St John the Baptist
The thirteenth-century Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, the Priory of St John the Baptist and one of Ireland's oldest bridges, a mile downriver from the castle.