St Mary's Cathedral
Description
St Mary’s Cathedral in Tuam, County Galway, is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe in the Church of Ireland. From the 12th century until 1839 it was the seat of the Archdiocese of Tuam. Most of the current building dates from the 1870s, though parts of the 12th- and 14th-century cathedrals remain.
Origins
The first church in Tuam was founded around 501 by St Jarlath. Tuam rose to prominence in the 11th century as the seat of the O’Connor High Kings. The first cathedral was begun under High King Turlough O’Connor after the Synod of Kells in 1152 but burned down in 1184. A smaller church followed, and in the 14th century a second cathedral was built, incorporating parts of the earlier one.
Present Cathedral
With Tuam’s growth after the arrival of the railway in 1861, a third cathedral was built by Sir Thomas Newenham Deane and completed in 1878. It reused the 12th-century Hiberno-Romanesque arch and became the main cathedral, while the 14th-century building became the Synod Hall. The style is Irish pointed Gothic, with oak furnishings, Caen stone and Irish marble fittings, and stained glass from 1913.
The cathedral preserves the 12th-century chancel arch, considered the finest surviving example of Hiberno-Romanesque architecture, and the High Cross of Tuam, erected by Turlough O’Connor. Italian baroque choir stalls (c.1740) and other historic furnishings are also present.
Communion Silver
The cathedral holds a collection of communion silver, the earliest pieces dating from the 1660s and later gifts from the archbishops of Tuam.
Major renovations took place between 1985 and 1993. The cathedral remains open to visitors during the summer.