Earlier this morning, we departed from school at 7:15 Eastbound for Trim Castle and Tayto Park. We passed through the counties of Roscommon, Longford and Westmeath.

At 9:45am we arrived at Trim Castle, Co. Meath.This castle is a Norman Castle built in the 12th century by a Norman Lord named Hugh De Lacy. It is a huge castle and the children were captivated by the sheer size of it as we walked straight to the top. We heard from our brilliant tour guide about life in Norman times and what was most fascinating was their lifestyle. We were reminded about the motte, moat and bailey as well as the watch tower at the very top. It is the largest Norman Castle in Europe, which was very interesting.

After this, we hopped back on the bus and our brilliant bus driver Gerry drove us towards Tayto Park. On the way to Tayto park, the children were thrilled to see that we were to get VIP treatment as we entered. Past pupil, Garda Cathal Walsh kindly met us and led us to the entry of Tayto Park. We are so thankful to Garda Walsh for this lovely act of generosity and the children loved it.

From there, we were greeted by our Tour Guide in Tayto Park, Samantha, who would lead us on our tour of the Zoo. She showed us all the very interesting animals from the Amur Tiger, Mountain Lion, Alpaca, sheep, chickens, owls as well as loads more!
We then went on a short tour of the Potato Factory where we saw all the machines and the Tayto’s being made. We learned all about the Tayto, crisp the history of the Potato and history of Tayto in Ireland.

Then the children really got what they had been waiting for – use of all the attractions! They stayed in groups and made sure they got on as many as possible. We decided to stay a little longer so the children could get full use of the park. The really enjoyed these.

Finally, we boarded the bus at 5;00pm. Heading Westbound, this time passing through Counties Meath, Kildare, Westmeath, Longford, Roscommon and finally Mayo. We arrived back a little tired at the school at 8;30pm after a long but brilliant day!

A very special word of thanks to Mr Clarke who organised this wonderful tour and to Mrs McCafferty and Ms Colson who looked after all the girls and boys so well throughout the day. This certainly was a tour to remember!