When Debby and John Walsh decided to swap their home in Durban for a more peaceful life in Ireland they chose the heritage town of Trim because the name intrigued them. Bhaile Atha Truim in Irish, it translates as "the town of the ford of the elder trees". The Walshes left behind a typical South African suburban house with a swimming-pool, large garden and servants to help with the housework. The imposing King John's Castle impressed them, as did the quaint old-fashioned town centre with the River Boyne flowing through. The deciding factor, however, was Trim's manageable size and its proximity to jobs in the technology industries west of the city.
Most of Trim's newer residents, in recent years, have been Dubliners relocating for a slower pace of life, buying up four-bedroom and five-bedroom detached houses with huge gardens for less than the cost of an average semi in the city. There is a good mix of established townspeople and newcomers in the town and outsiders seem to assimilate easier than in some suburban estates closer to Dublin.
It is still a smallish market town, 28 miles north-west of Dublin, with a population of around 7,000. Home to Minister for the Environment and Local Government Noel Dempsey, the town centre is flanked by neat, modern, housing estates, none of them too large. Like everywhere, prices have risen but buyers can still find a four-bedroom semi in good condition for around £150,000 and a detached house on a generous plot for around £180,000. The Dublin Road is most favoured, although all the estates are well kept. The quaint cut-stone cottages on Castle Street, owned by the Dunsany estate are not for sale. Period houses around the town are very sought-after and any coming up for sale are snapped up before the paint is dry on the sign-board.
Ex-council houses are a good buy. A first-time buyer can get a two or three-bedroom former local authority house in reasonable condition in Mornington Heights for about £85,000. Many Trim residents commute daily to the city and traffic between the Navan Road and Trim has become a steady stream in rush hour. The journey, which takes 45 minutes at off-peak times, can be anything up to one-and-a-half hours or more at busy periods. Traffic doesn't begin to build up until the M50 roundabout when the Trim commuters link up with those from housing developments closer to town in Clonee and Blanchardstown. Tail-backs at the M50 junction, where two lanes of fast-moving traffic filter into one, are common. By far the worst problem for Trim commuters is the difficulty turning right on to the Navan Road at the Black Bull crossroads. Drivers queue up and literally dash out on to the main road the moment a gap in the traffic appears. Regulars often take a less risky route by turning right just before the Navan Road junction and joining the busy main road at a T-junction further up. Debby and John Walsh have settled in well, and attracted other family members Trim. John's brother followed the couple over here and Debbie's sister is coming for good at Christmas.
"It is so easy to fit in here - it's not like a big city where you know no-one. I always liked theatre, so I joined the group here to meet people. I jumped in with both feet and now I'm on the committee," says Debby. Since Trim is designated a heritage town, it is unlikely that growth will be on a par with neighbouring towns such as Navan. The new water system has capacity for a population of up to 16,000, although local projections are for a population of 10,000 to 12,000 in the next 10 to 15 years. A town plan being drafted by Trim UDC is expected to be ready by the end of the year. Trim has just been selected for inclusion in the Government's Town Renewal Scheme, which is expected to be worth in excess of £20 million over the three-year period of the scheme; some 16 sites have been chosen for this special designation. Local officials hope re-opening of Trim Castle will help turn Trim into a major tourist location. The UDC has plans to crack down on unsightly buildings around the town centre, using the Derelict Sites Act as a lever. A levy on non-habitable property is one solution suggested by the Town Manager, Oliver Perkins. A new "one stop shop" accommodating the urban and county councils and the North Eastern Health Board is in the pipeline and Trim Courthouse is currently undergoing a £4.5 million revamp.
The completion of the £25 million EU Food and Veterinary Office being built at Grange, Dunsany, is sure to raise the temperature in the Trim housing market. Staffing levels here are expected to reach a minimum of 250 employees and most will be house-hunting in the area. A much-needed community/recreational centre is planned for grounds owned by Trim GAA. This will include a clubhouse, multi-purpose indoor sports arena, a health and fitness centre, creche and floodlit sports facilities. The vexed question of a theatre for Trim is still under discussion. Trim is one of the most talented towns in the country with nationally acclaimed musical and choral societies and a very active drama group. Umbrella cultural organisation Cluain an Duchais is raising money for a specially-built theatre, as the present venue in the town hall has become inadequate.
Another local issue concerns the town's water supply. Despite the new million gallon reservoir on the Summerhill Road, bad-tasting water is forcing local residents to use bottled water and causing cafe-owners a great deal of grief. According to Town Manager Oliver Perkins, everything possible is being done to locate the source of the poor taste. "We referred the problem to a team of experts who found the water fully potable. There's an intermittent bad taste but we can't find the reason. It is now down to microbiologists to identify what it is," he says. It's impossible to get away from history in this very picturesque County Meath town. Cinema fans will remember Trim as the location of the film Braveheart. King John's Castle, the oldest Norman castle in Ireland, officially opened to the public on 12th July last following the transfer of ownership to the state from the late Lord Dunsany. Conservation work has been going on since 1993, involving the restoration of spiral stairs and oak floors in the side towers, new bridges connecting the towers at an upper level.
The magnificently restored castle was built in the 12th century by Hugh de Lacey, who chose Trim as the centre of Norman power in the Kingdom of Meath. Across the Boyne, the remains of the Augustinian Abbey of St Mary's was the focus of medieval pilgrimages to the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Trim. Part of the abbey became a private manor house for Sir John Talbot, king's representative in Ireland. This was later bought by Esther Johnston, better known as Dean Swift's friend Stella. The cottage at Laracor, where Swift and Stella trysted, now a ruin, is visited regularly by literary-minded pilgrims. The Wellington Column was erected in 1817 to commemorate Trim's most famous resident, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington. While his actual birthplace is not known, locals believe he was born in a stable on the road from Trim to Dangan, giving credence to the Duke's famous assertion that to be born in a stable does not make one a horse. Not so widely known is the story that the real duke died in infancy and was replaced by the child of a local cobbler.
Other sights not to be missed include the Echo Gate where up to a dozen words will bounce back; the ancient Priory of St John the Baptist, where the Crutched Friars nursed wounded crusaders; and the Tomb of the Jealous Man and Woman at Newtown which is associated with a cure for warts. For garden-lovers, the world-famous Butterstream Gardens visited by Prince Charles in 1995 is a must.
