Trim screening of Braveheart to win its freedom in August

Two years after plans to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hollywood blockbuster Braveheart had to be put on hold due to the pandemic, Trim Tourism Network is gearing up to host the postponed event on 13th and 14th August.

Michael Hughes of Trim Tourism Network said while it's actually 27 years since Braveheart, "Covid stole two years off us so now we are taking them back".

The event will run on August 13th and 14th featuring two showings of the movie itself, followed on the Sunday evening by a special family movie. Many of the cast of Braveheart will be present just as they were at the Braveheart 20th anniversary in 2015. The previous event was organised by Eric Lawlor, who is now a board member of Trim Tourism Network.

Eric's brother, the late Sean Lawlor, played William Wallace's father in the movie. Eric brought the idea of the 25th anniversary to the board and Michael it was decided that it would be appropriate to postpone the return of 'Salmon of Knowledge festival ' until 2023 in favour of holding this event instead this year.

"Braveheart was and is synonymous with Trim's recent history and the town and surrounding areas, especially Bective Abbey, are very proud that a large part of the movie was cast and shot here, in fact many locals featured as extras in many scenes," said Michael.

"Some of these scenes themselves are still talked about today as these local extras had a “fair amount of craic” on set which wasn't lost on Mel Gibson. “In recent years we have shown great movies against the backdrop of Trim Castle and there is no better place to spend a summers day/evening and especially if the weather plays ball. We are really looking forward to another great event and a return to festival fun in Trim in 2022.”

Two weeks later, Trim Tourism Network will feature the return of 'Boyne Adventure Race' which was also cancelled during the pandemic.

Locals have many fond memories of the summer of 1994 and the incredible buzz that was around Trim as Mel Gibson and his crew rolled into town to film Braveheart. Trim Castle was transformed into the medieval cities of York and London and many locals got parts as extras in the movie.

Huge crowds flocked to the town hoping to catch a glimpse of Mel himself or some of the other famous faces that played roles in the blockbuster that went on to win several Oscars.

Other scenes were filmed in nearby Bective and Dunsany Abbeys.