Returned emigrant impressed with visit to Trim

Dear sir - While home in Ireland recently I spent a few days in Trim and I couldn't believe how nice the town is and I was very pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the medieval castles and very old monuments; the beautiful parks and walks and of course the river Boyne, with its swans, cygnets and herons. I visited a very old cemetery with my sister, Phyl, and she showed me Sir Lucas Dillon's tomb with two stone figures of a man and a woman and a big sword separating them so that their bodies didn't touch and it is known as the tomb of the jealous man and woman. This tomb is famous for curing warts. I saw very old headstones that were dated back hundreds of years and with Celtic crosses. The beautiful remains of the castle in Trim which is the finest and largest Anglo Norman castle in Ireland. It was started by Hugh de Lacey in 1173 and restored in 2003 and won a European prize. The beauty of the castle all lit up at night would simply take your breath away. St Patrick's Roman Catholic church has altars of the work of the Pearse Brothers of Dublin and one of them was the father of Padraig Pearse, one of the leaders of the 1916 Easter rising. The church is Gothic style and one of the windows illustrates St Patrick preaching on the Hill of Tara. There is a bridge called the millennium bridge and I crossed it several times and it connects the centre to the Porchfields and beautiful long walks along the banks of the river Boyne. The town is very lively and I met the nicest people, all cheerful and smiling. The famous Hill of Tara which is only 15 minutes drive from Trim was a real treat and on a fine day one can see a lot of other counties and the panoramic views of the whole countryside is astonishing. The high kings ruled over the whole of Ireland from this mystical place. I am very pleased with my few days in Trim and it has to be one of the nicest towns in Ireland and is really worth a visit. I happened to go into one man's shop with my niece, Kate, and I bought two tea towels, just to give the man a bit of custom. He was so nice and friendly and he opened a box of hankerchiefs and offered us one each as he said that everyone that bought anything off him around Christmas got a little thank you present and he has been doing this for the last 50 years. Now wasn't that something? It brought me back to the real old days. If you get the chance, go and visit this lovely little town as it is worth the visit. Patricia Betin, (nee Grimes, Kells) Paris, France