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Trim Castle is one of the finest examples of Norman architecture still standing in Ireland today, writes Eileen Battersby.

Their legacy has long outlived their days of power and reminders of this fascinating legacy continue to dominate the Irish landscape. The Normans had interesting ideas about government and administration, and they were certainly good organisers. But nowadays it is easier to consider them not as soldiers but as innovative architects, as builders of genius. Norman castle design, inspired by the demands of defence, ironically resulted in structures of great beauty. There is nothing particularly appealing about a modern derelict building, but Ireland's ruined stone castles and tower houses are objects of beauty as well as signposts to Ireland's history.