NatCathedral · 1160–1865Saint Mary's CathedralGalway Road, TuamPhoto: ClintMalpaso · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons file
Photo: Andreas F. Borchert · CC BY-SA 4.056buildings on the National Inventory
History of Tuam · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
History in Tuam reaches back to 1160: 56 buildings on the National Inventory
Tuam is a historic town on the Sites and Monuments Record, which lists 52 archaeological sites inside it. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage records 56 buildings in Tuam, 2 of them of national importance. Per 10,000 residents that makes 58; the typical town has 48.
On the National Inventory
56
58 per 10,000 residents
typical town: 48
typical town: 48
Of national importance
2
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
52
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1160
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
2.5%
typical town: 3.4%
In pictures
Tuam’s landmarks in 5 photos, with 1 old views
Of Tuam’s places of national importance, 2 are photographed. 3 of the places on Tuam’s record are pictured here; the others show their record card. Tuam as it was in 1890, in old photographs.
Catholic Cathedral of the AssumptionNational rating (NIAH)
Saint Mary's CathedralNational rating (NIAH)
Tuam Town HallRegional rating (NIAH)
Kilbennan MonasteryArchaeological monument (SMR)
Saint Benin's Catholic ChurchRegional rating (NIAH)Photos from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the place’s page. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Through time
Tuam in old photos
1 old photograph, made before 1950.
1880–1900From Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server: public domain, or from the National Library of Ireland’s collections (Lawrence, Poole, Eason and others) with no known copyright restrictions. Each credit opens the image’s page.
How old
Most of Tuam’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
Middle Ages 500–14991
1500–1799 three centuries12
19th century 1800–189937
1900 and later to today6
13 of the 56 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is Saint Mary's Cathedral, from 1160.
The map
Where Tuam’s history is
Every building and site on the record inside the town, by its rating.
National and InternationalRegional and other sites
Hover a dot for its name; tap one to open its page.
The 56, by rating
2 National and International54 Regional and other sites
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage is the State’s survey of buildings from 1700 to today, county by county; each record gives a rating, dates, a type and an appraisal. Being on it is not legal protection: that is each council’s Record of Protected Structures.
Points from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and the Sites and Monuments Record, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY 4.0).
National and International
2 places of national importance in Tuam
Buildings the National Inventory rates National or International: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Each one opens its own page.
NatCathedral · 1825–1835Catholic Cathedral of the AssumptionBishop Street, TuamPhoto: JohnArmagh; derivative work: Rabanus Flavus · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons file
Regional and other sites
54 more historic places in Tuam
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 34, A to Z
Allied Irish BankBank of IrelandBishop's HouseBridge HouseBuilding misc, Tuam CemeteryCongress HouseConvent of MercyEastland HouseGates, Presentation ConventGraveyard, Convent of MercyHermitageLisieux HouseMall HouseOld CollegePalace View HousePresentation ConventProspect HouseSaint Jarlath's (bishop's palace)Saint Jarlath's (gates / railings / walls)Saint Jarlath's CollegeThe Little MillThe PalaceThe Thatch BarTuam CemeteryTuam CourthouseTuam Furniture StoresTuam Post OfficeTuam Railway StationTuam Railway Station (foot bridge)Tuam Railway Station (platform)Tuam Railway Station (store / warehouse)Tuam Town HallUlster BankWaterslade House
20 recorded by their type and address
20 are recorded only by their type and address: 13 homes, 2 walls, gates and bridges and 2 mills, stations and works; most date from the 19th century.
18th century9
19th century10
20th century1
Historic streets
Bishop Street has the most
Streets with three or more buildings on the record, by the address it gives.
Bishop Street17 on the record · 1 of national importance
Dublin Road10 on the record
Shop Street7 on the record
Seán Purcell Road4 on the record
Vicar Street3 on the record
Of the 56 records, 56 give a street address.
What’s recorded
In Tuam, homes lead the record (46%)
The second-largest group on the record is inns, shops and warehouses, with 6. That mix leans to public buildings: 9% in Tuam, against 6% across the National Inventory. Two of the highest-rated records are Saint Mary's Cathedral and Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption.
Homes26
Inns, shops and warehouses6
Churches and chapels6
Public buildings5
Walls, gates and bridges5
Mills, stations and works4
Street furniture1
Other buildings3
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in Tuam
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
52 archaeological sites inside the town
Sites on the Record of Monuments and Places, the statutory list drawn from this record, are protected by law: anyone planning work at or near one must give the National Monuments Service two months’ notice.
| Graveyard5 records |
| Ringfort - rath4 records |
| Ecclesiastical enclosure4 records |
| Church4 records |
| Cathedral4 records |
| Cross - High cross3 records |
| Kiln - lime2 records |
| Kiln - pottery2 records |
| Ritual site - holy well2 records |
| Burial2 records |
| Cross - High cross (present location)2 records |
| Ecclesiastical residence1 record |
| Bridge1 record |
| Children's burial ground1 record |
| Monumental structure1 record |
| 14 more kinds14 records |
Just outside Tuam: 11
| Kilbennan MonasteryArchaeological monument (SMR) · 2 km outside the town |
| Birmingham HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.4 km outside the town |
| Weir BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
| Knockavanny HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.6 km outside the town |
| Saint Benin's Catholic ChurchRegional rating (NIAH) · 2 km outside the town |
| Ballygaddy BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 700 m outside the town |
| Gardenfield HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.4 km outside the town |
| Mayfield HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
| Monument, BallytrasnaRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.5 km outside the town |
| Mill (wind), Ballymote Road, TuamRegional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
| Water pump, CarrownagarryRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.4 km outside the town |
Homes by age
Little of Tuam’s housing predates 1919: 2.5%, the norm is 3.4%
Against a typical 3.9%, 7.2% of Tuam’s homes went up between the wars. The busiest building years in Tuam were in the 2000s, which account for 41% of today’s homes. Since 2011 Tuam has added 5.3% of its homes, close to the typical town’s 5.8%.
2.5%
Before 1919
7.2%
1919–45
21%
1946–80
23%
1981–2000
41%
2001–10
5.3%
Since 2011
TuamTypical town
Census 2022, households by the year their home was built (CSO, Small Area Population Statistics, CC BY 4.0); the typical town is the middle Irish town of 2,500 or more.
Born here
7 notable people born in Tuam before 1900
From Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair (1116) to John O'Donnell (1890): their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair
John O'Donohoe
Sir Theobald Burke, 13th Baronet
Thomas Finney
Patrick Joseph Dillon
Robert George O'Malley
John O'Donnell
120013501500165018001950
Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair1116–1198 · High King of Ireland
Patrick Joseph Dillon1842–1889 · Irish Catholic missionary in Argentina
Thomas Finney1837–1903 · Politician and businessman
John O'Donohoe1824–1902 · Canadian politician
Robert George O'Malley1856–1938 · Canadian politician
SB
Sir Theobald Burke, 13th Baronet1833–1909 · Irish baronet and soldier
JO
John O'Donnell1890– · Poet
Everyone born in Tuam → Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s English Wikipedia article; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Neighbours
Tuam and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuam | 9,647 | 56 | 2 | 52 |
| Headford | 1,235 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
In brief
Tuam in brief
Tuam’s oldest monument, Saint Mary's Cathedral, dates from 1160. In all there are 56 places on the record, 2 of them in the top tier, including Saint Mary's Cathedral. On Bishop Street alone there are 17 places on the record. Most of its dated monuments come from the 19th century: 37 of 56.
Of the 7 people born here before 1900, the best known include Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair (1116), Patrick Joseph Dillon (1842) and Thomas Finney (1837). Its homes are mostly newer: 2.5% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. The archaeological record adds 52 sites. The rest is about typical: it has 56 recorded buildings, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 18); and per resident it sits near the middle of Irish towns of 2,500 or more.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The National Inventory. The State’s survey of post-1700 buildings, made county by county since 1990 (NIAH); a few records are older. It records; it does not protect.
- Ratings. International and National: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Regional: in its region. Local and record-only buildings get no page here.
- Archaeology. The Sites and Monuments Record (National Monuments Service) lists known archaeological sites; the national monuments to visit and the sites with an encyclopedia article get pages here.
- Protection. Both registers are surveys, not protection: a building is protected by its council’s Record of Protected Structures, and no national open list joins the 31 councils’ records.
- The grade. Ireland’s History grade is not built yet: the page describes, and gives no grade.
Questions about Tuam’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Tuam?
56 buildings on the National Inventory, 2 of them of national importance, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Which places in Tuam are of national importance?
Saint Mary's Cathedral and Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption.
What is the oldest building in Tuam?
Saint Mary's Cathedral: the first date on its record is 1160.
Are there archaeological sites in Tuam?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 52 archaeological sites inside Tuam.
How old are the homes in Tuam?
2.5% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town.
Are the buildings on this page protected?
Being on the National Inventory or the Sites and Monuments Record is a record, not protection by itself: buildings are protected by their council’s Record of Protected Structures, which each council keeps and no national open list gathers, so this page can’t say which are on it.
History is described here, not graded.
Source: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and Sites and Monuments Record, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY 4.0); Wikidata (CC0).
Sources: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (buildingsofireland.ie) · Sites and Monuments Record and the National Monuments Service’s monuments to visit · CSO Census 2022 (homes by the year built) · Photos: Wikimedia Commons, including the National Library of Ireland’s collections, each credited with its licence and copied to our own server · Wikidata and English Wikipedia for people born here · Wikidata (CC0) for other names and articles. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).