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Theme Week County Galway – Tuam

Tuesday, 22 March 2022 - 12:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union
Category/Kategorie: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

🔊 Listen to this Post Tuam (Irish: Tuaim, meaning ‘mound’ or ‘burial-place’) is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about 35 km (22 mi) north of Galway city. 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 and Ruaidrí, who were based in Tuam. The broken chariot wheel being a reminder of 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”.

The Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home, St Mary’s 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, the building served as a workhouse for the poor. 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 vault with twenty chambers. most of the burials were from the 1950s. The report 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.

Among the places of interest are:

• Temple Jarlath at High Street, marks the site of the earliest monastic settlement in Tuam, established by St Jarlath circa 526–527 AD. Temple Jarlath is near the town centre. It marks the site of an early monastic settlement dedicated to St Jarlath, Tuam’s sixth century patron. The surviving ruins include a late 13th-century parish church containing an east window in Transitional style.
• The Mill Museum – This undershot water wheel mill found off Shop Street, which traces its origin to the 17th century, was in operation until 1964. It is the only preserved corn mill in the West of Ireland. The Mill Museum complex, located beside the river Nanny, consists of the restored corn mill with operating water wheel, an audiovisual museum and Tourist Information Office.
• Cathedral of the Assumption – Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tuam in County Galway.
• St Mary’s Cathedral – The Church of Ireland Cathedral was built 1861–1878, incorporating a 12th-century arch and sanctuary, and a 14th-century chancel.
• Castlehacket – a 13th-century tower house near Tuam, was home of the Hacket family at first; later of the Kirwans after the Cromwellian settlement. Many scenes from the 1969 movie Alfred the Great were filmed in the environs of Castlehacket and Knockma.
• Feartagar Castle, a Burke castle located 8 km (5 miles) northwest of Tuam.

The Marian Choral Society was formed in 1974, with an initial aim to sing church and secular music. Then, in 1977, the first musical production was staged, with an annual show each October since. Earwig! Tuam Community Arts Group was formed in October 2003 to provide Tuam and its surroundings with an outlet for its creative talent. Since 2003, the group has organised an arts festival which includes visual arts, theatre, drama, spectacle, children’s arts workshops, street performance and music. Earwig! also takes part in the annual St Patrick’s Day parade in Tuam with an emphasis on bringing movement and spectacle.

The Old Tuam Society was founded in 1942 with a view to preserving a record of the town’s past and to foster and promote that knowledge for the benefit of future generations. The new society was open to “all those who are interested in its aims, namely the preservation and study of the antiquities of Tuam and district.” An invitation was issued to Tuam people scattered far and wide to join the circle for an annual subscription of two shillings and six pence. The society publishes an annual called JOTS (Journal of the Old Tuam Society).

The Tuam market was revived in 2006 by the Energise Tuam, a group which organised by local traders in conjunction with Tuam Chamber of Commerce in an effort to promote shopping in the town. It currently takes place on the last Saturday of every month, at the plaza in front of Tuam Shopping Centre. In the future, Galway County Council has earmarked the Shambles car park nearer the town centre as the market’s location on a permanent basis.

Here you can find the complete Overview of all Theme Weeks.

Read more on The Tuam-Guide, Wikivoyage Tuam and Wikipedia Tuam. Learn more about the use of photos. To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Johns Hopkins University & Medicine - Coronavirus Resource Center - Global Passport Power Rank - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.

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