Tuam
Tuam is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. The town is in a civil parish of the same name.
Humans have lived in the area since the Bronze Age while the historic period dates from the sixth century. The town became increasingly important in the 11th and 12th centuries in political and religious aspects of Ireland. The market-based layout of the town and square indicates the importance of commerce.
The red Latin cross of the coat of arms is representative of Tuam's importance as an ecclesiastical centre. The double green flaunches at the sides, represent the two hills or shoulders of Tuam's ancient name, Tuaim Dhá Ghualainn. The two crowns recall the High Kings, Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair and Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, who were based in Tuam. The broken chariot wheel is a reference to the foundation of the monastic town when St Jarlath's chariot wheel broke. The motto of the town, Tuath Thuama go buan, translates as 'long live the people of Tuam'.
History
The record of human settlement in Tuam dates back to the Bronze Age when an area adjacent to Shop Street was used as a burial ground. The name Tuam is a cognate with the Latin term tumulus. The town's ancient name was Tuaim Dá Ghualann, i.e. the burial mound of two shoulders. The name probably refers to the high ground on either side of the River Nanny, overlooking a probable fording point over the River Nanny. In 1875, a Bronze Age burial urn was discovered in the area by workmen, dating from.Records date from the early sixth century and mention that a monk called Jarlath was a member of a religious community at Cloonfush some west of Tuam and adjacent to the religious settlement at Kilbannon. According to the Life of Brendan of Clonfert, Brendan eventually told Jarlath "Not here at all shall be thy resurrection". When Jarlath asked where this may be, Brendan responded: "Have a new chariot made for thou art old; and go thy way in it, and wherever the two hind shafts of the chariot will break, there will be thy resurrection, and that of many others with thee". Jarlath's wheel broke at Tuam and he established a monastery there, known as the School of Tuam. In Ireland, early settlements typically arose through the establishment of a religious site, around which a town subsequently grew. In this way, Tuam grew up around the monastery and has kept the broken chariot wheel as its heraldic symbol.
In 1049, Aedh O'Connor defeated Amalgaid ua Flaithbertaigh, King of Iar Connacht, making the O'Connors provincial kings of Connacht. He then built a castle at Tuam and made it his principal stronghold. This event was directly responsible for the subsequent rise in the importance of the town. Its position dominated the Iar Connacht heartland of Maigh Seóla.
In the 12th century, the town became the centre of Provincial power during the 50-year reign of Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair. He also brought Tuam its most prominent status as seat of the High King of Ireland which he achieved by force of arms during his long career.
About 1140 Tairrdelbach founded an Augustinian priory in Tuam with possession over three church sites in Ciarraige Locha na nÁirne, east County Mayo. At the Synod of Kells in 1152, the centre of government also became the ecclesiastical centre, as Tuam was elevated to an Archbishopric, with Áed Ua hOissín as the first Archbishop.
Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair, as High King of Ireland from 1128–1156, was a great patron of the Irish Church and it was due to his patronage that Tuam became the home of some masterpieces of 12th century Celtic art, including the Cross of Cong. Tairrdelbach was succeeded by his son Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, the last native High King of Ireland. In 1164, Ruaidrí had a "wonderful castle" erected, with a large courtyard defended by lofty and massive walls and a deep moat into which the adjacent river was diverted through. This was the first Irish built stone castle. A small part of the castle still stands. Following the destruction of the first Cathedral in 1184, Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair left Tuam and retired to Cong Abbey, where he entrusted the Church valuables from the Cathedral at Tuam into the care of the abbot. This left Tuam as a small settlement and it wasn't until the early 17th century that it began to grow in importance again.
Throughout history, Tuam has been an important commercial centre with fairs and markets being an important part of commerce in the region. One of its fairs dates to 1252 when letters patent were granted to Archbishop MacFlynn by Henry III of England. Other fairs were authorised by Charters granted by James VI and I and George III.
The Annals of the Four Masters record that in 1488 "A whirlwind attacked a number of persons, as they were cutting turf on the bog of Tuaim-Mona, which killed one of them, and swelled the faces of the rest; and four others were killed by the same wind in Machaire-Chonnacht."
The High Cross of Tuam was brought to Dublin for the Great Exhibition of 1852. However, prior to its return to Tuam, a disagreement arose between the two Churches. Catholic Archbishop Dr John MacHale claimed the Cross rightfully belonged to Catholics, with Dean Charles Seymour of the Church of Ireland asserting a Protestant claim. Agreement was reached with the Cross erected halfway between both Cathedrals and positioned so that it was visible from all main streets of the town. It was in the square in the town centre in 1874.
In July 1920, Tuam Town Hall and other properties were attacked and badly damaged by armed Royal Irish Constabulary men, after two had been killed in an ambush by the Irish Republican Army near the town the day before.
A monumental "Chair of Tuam" was unveiled in May 1980 by the late Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich. The 1980s saw the High Cross re-erected in the south transept of St Mary's Cathedral.
Mass infant graves scandal
The Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home, or simply The Home, was a maternity home for unmarried mothers and their children that operated between 1925 and 1961 in the town. It was run by the Bon Secours religious order of nuns. From its construction in the mid-19th century until the early 20th century, before it was operated by the Bon Secours sisters, the building served as a workhouse for the poor.Exploratory excavations carried out between November 2016 and February 2017 that had been ordered by the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, under Judge Yvonne Murphy, found a "significant" quantity of human remains, aged from 35 foetal weeks to two to three years, interred in a disused former cesspit with twenty chambers. Most of the burials date from the 1950s.
The report on the 2016/2017 excavations said: "The Commission has not yet determined what the purpose of this structure was but it appears to be related to the treatment/containment of sewage and/or waste water. The Commission has also not yet determined if it was ever used for this purpose." Carbon dating confirmed that the remains date from the timeframe relevant to the operation of the Mother and Baby Home by the Bon Secours order. The Commission stated that it was shocked by the discovery and that it is continuing its investigation into who was responsible for the disposal of human remains in this way.
An18strong team of experts commenced a forensic investigation of the site on 14 July 2025, an operation expected to last twoyears, conducted by the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam. This exhumation is the result of a decade of effort by local people, survivors, campaigners, and journalists since the matter first came to public attention in 2014 through research by local historian Catherine Corless. Approximately 800 dead infants are thought to present.
Administration
On 30 March 1613, Tuam received a royal charter from James I, which enabled the Tuam constituency to send two representatives to Irish House of Commons until its abolition in 1801. The town was laid out as a market town to its present plan with all the streets converging on the central square. The charter also established a formal local council with an elected sovereign and 12 burgesses. The sovereign was sworn into office at the site of the "Chair of Tuam" which is believed to be within the remaining tower of Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair's castle. The borough was abolished under the Municipal Corporations Act 1840.The town was later granted town commissioners under the Towns Improvement Act 1854. This body became a town council in 2002, under the Local Government Act 2001. Along with other similar town councils in Ireland, the body was abolished in 2014 under the Local Government Reform Act 2014. The local electoral area of Tuam elects 7 councillors to Galway County Council and forms the Municipal District of Tuam.
Climate
Transport
Tuam is served by the N17 road and the N83 road as well as the R332 and R347. A bypass of the N17, avoiding congestion to the west of the town, involved acquisition of land by Galway County Council in late 2006. The design of this road includes a bridge over the existing closed railway lines, allowing for future re-opening of the line. The M17 was opened ahead of schedule on 27 September 2017.Tuam railway station is located on the disused railway line from Athenry to Sligo. There was a part-successful campaign by West-on-track to have the line reopened as a Western Railway Corridor which was recognised in the Transport21 project. Construction work to reopen the line between Ennis and Athenry was completed in 2009. Passengers trains run between Limerick and with further extensions planned. Tuam railway station opened on 27 September 1860, closed to passenger traffic on 5 April 1976 and finally closed altogether on 18 December 1978. The railway lines were heavily used by trains transporting sugar beets to the Irish Sugar Factory formerly located off the Ballygaddy Road. The railway line was used during the filming of The Quiet Man, and can be seen when John Wayne disembarks at Ballyglunin, around 6 km from Tuam.
Tuam is served by multiple Bus Éireann routes.