5 things to do in Trim, Co. Meath, Ireland with children

Trim Castle

‘Caisleán’ is the Irish for ‘castle.’

It is pronounced ‘cash-lawn’.

Trim is a great place to visit if you are visiting Ireland. It is in county, Meath so it is not far from Dublin. There are many buses that stop in the town to enable to you to take in the sights.

A knight at Trim Castle
  1. Trim castle is the largest Anglo Norman castle in Ireland. It is a great place to visit. It was used as a filming location for the film ‘Braveheart’ and if you are lucky, you can have a photo with a knight at the gates. Next door, there is a visitor centre with an exhibition about knights and a dressing up box for the children.

2. The donkeys in the field next to Trim Castle are a popular attraction with locals coming to feed the donkeys treats. They have a sign up introducing their names and their favourite foods as well as their own Facebook page.

The Trim Castle River Walk

3. There is a wonderful walk starting at Trim Castle and walking along the River Boyne. It is on the Porchfields and takes walkers on a historical walk taking in St. Peter and Paul’s Cathedral, the Yellow Steeple, Newtown ruins and the tomb of the jealous man and woman.

The grounds of Trim Castle

4. The grounds of Trim Castle were great entertainment for my toddlers. They loved climbing on the canon and running around on the grass. I had to keep an eye that they didn’t fall into the moat but they loved it. There is a shop ‘Siopa an Caisleán’ opposite with really friendly shopkeepers who serve delicious ice-cream and souvenirs.

The Playcentre, Trim

5. Soft play is always on a parent of toddlers’ radar. One morning it was pouring with rain and we found this soft play centre in the Oaktree Business Park (down the road opposite Lidl) and it was fabulous. The toddlers had a great time climbing, sliding and spinning. The snacks and coffee were delicious.

www.theplaycentre.ie

(I was not paid to promote any of the places on this post. )

Better luck next time, Kilkenny

A view of Kilkenny

Unfortunately Kilkenny lost the All-Ireland Hurling Final to Tipperary over the weekend and this phrase came to mind.

‘Beidh lá eile ag an bPaorach’ meaning ‘Power will have another day.’

It is pronounced ‘Beg law ella egg on bare-ach.’

The phrase comes from Irish history where a man with the surname, Power, tried a revolt and failed. It is often used for the phrase ‘Better luck next time.’

All-Ireland Hurling Final

Kilkenny Forever

Today Kilkenny are in the All-Ireland Hurling Final against Tipperary in Croke Park, Dublin.

Kilkenny are the most successful team in hurling in Ireland because they have won the All Ireland Senior Championship Final thirty-six times. Not that I am biased with my Dad from Kilkenny and many a happy childhood memory of the black and amber flags flying proudly outside the houses as we drove through the county.

The nickname for the Kilkenny team are ‘The Cats’ and I wanted to teach the children an Irish phrase for the Final as we looked out for Grandma, Grandad and my Uncles in the stands supporting the Kilkenny Cats on the TV this Sunday afternoon.

‘Cill Chainnigh Abú’ is the Irish for ‘Kilkenny Forever.’

It is pronounced ‘Kil khyan-ee aboo.’

Hurling

Hurling is an Irish game that is thought to date back to 3000 years ago. It is often referred to in Irish myths and legends. It was in 1884 and the formation of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) that the formal set of rules evolved for the game of hurling that we see today. Hurling is a wonderful game to watch with the speed and skill of the players.

‘Iomáint’ is the Irish for ‘hurling’.

It is pronounced ‘um-awe-nch’.

Irish words to use for St. Patrick’s Day

With St. Patrick’s Day fast approaching, now is the perfect time to learn a few words and phrases in Irish.

The Irish language (an Ghaeilge) can be very off putting due to it’s alphabet, rules and pronunciation but you can say that about any language, so don’t worry and just have a go.

With my children, I drop words or phrases into the conversation as they are playing. When I studied linguistics at university, it was called ‘code switching.’ For example ‘Look! The shamrock is glas (green).’

Here are the words or phrases that I will be bringing into the conversation as my children play. I have put the phonetic pronunciation in the brackets to help.

Glas (gloss) – Green

Seamróg (sham-rogue) – Shamrock

Ádh (awe) – Luck

Cleas (class) – Trick

Pota óir (putha ore) – Pot of gold

Boinn óir (bwin ore) – Gold coins

Bogha báistí (bowah bawsh-chee) – Rainbow

Leipreacán (leprechaun) – Leprechaun

Lá Fhéile Pádraig faoi mhaise duit (law aylah Pawrick fwee vosha gwitch) – Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Dia dhuit! (jeeuh gwitch) Hello!

Hello and welcome to my blog ‘Gaelic Mammy’.

I’m an experienced primary school teacher who would like to share my teaching ideas alongside the teaching of Irish to my two toddlers. I try to teach my children one Irish word or phrase a day based upon their play or interests.  Come along on my journey and learn a bit of Irish too.

I’m on Instagram so feel free to follow me on ‘gaelic_mammy’