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Includes
Barnaderg,
Cortoon,
Kilbannon,
Kilconly
Tuam lies 32km north of Galway City on the N17 major
route. It owes its origin according to legend, to the broken
chariot wheel which St. Jarlath took as a sign to found his
monastic settlement here in the 5th century. Tuam, the
probable capital of Ireland during the 12th century, when
the High King Rory O'Connor was in residence. During this
period the
O'Connors endowed Tuam with the processional
Cross of Cong (now in the National Museum), and are
associated with the ornamental High Crosses (now in St.
Mary's Cathedral). Tuam's location on the N17 makes it a
natural dormitory town of Galway city, but it also has many
fine local industries.
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Tuam is best known as a centre of church affairs, ancient
and modern and has two cathedrals. The town owes its
foundation to a monastery established here in the 6th
century by St. Jarlath; ruins of Temple Jarlath, in the
centre of the city, date from around 1360. The 14' 12
century High Cross of Tuam, a decorated sandstone piece, was
once broken in three, with each piece in different
ownership. It is now situated in the rebuilt (1878) Church
of Ireland cathedral, which has a magnificent red sandstone
chancel arch in laboured Romanesque, erected certainly
between 1128 and 1152.
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The ruins of St
Benin at Kilbannon
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Saint Jarlath of Tuam
Saint Jarlath of Tuam (c. 445-c. 550) was Tuam's first
bishop, and a disciple of Saint Enda. He founded a monastery
in Tuam and was both abbot and bishop there. His feast day
is celebrated on June 6, the date on which his relics are
moved to a church built in his honour adjoining the cathedral
of Tuam. Jarlath came from a wealthy family. He studied
under St. Enda at Arran around 495. He was a renowned
scholar, founding a college attached to the monastery at
Cluain Fois (now
Cloonfush). According to the writings of
Saint Brendan of Clonfert, when St. Jarlath's chariot wheel
broke, it showed him the place at which he would meet his
death; he founded his monastic community there. The town of
Tuam still uses the chariot wheel as its symbol.
Kilbannon
The parish of Kilbannon owes its name to St. Benen, or
Benignus, signifying the Church of Benen. He was the son of
Sescan, a chief who dwelt near the modern Duleek in Meath.
The church of Benen was the mother church of the Archdiocese
of Tuam, older than Tuam itself, as Benignus was older the
St. Jarlath. Its importance was attested by the fact that a
round tower was erected there about 1000 A.D., For the round
tower usually marked the residence of an important chief or
king, and served to guard the church that was built in its
shadows. Nor is it unlikely that Kilbannon would have become
the seat of the Archbishop if the O'Connor kings had not
made Tuam their chief residence in the eleventh century.
This was done by Aedh
O'Connor who defeated
O'Flaherty in
1047, and who then selected Tuam as a convenient place for
attacking these powerful O'Flaherty chiefs.
Knockma Hill
Knockma the great 'Hill of Maeve' is situated 5 miles west
of Tuam. Maeve the legendary Queen of Connacht is reputed to
be buried in the Cairns on the summit of the hill from which
one of the greatest panoramic views in Ireland may be
obtained. Tradition also points to Knockma as the home of
fairy legend. For here Finvarra, King of Connacht fairies,
is reputed to have held his court. This partially wooded
hill contains examples of the famous Burren flora, the
Spring Gentian and the Purple Helleborine to name but two
species. The limestone flags on its summit and sides contain
all of our rarest plants that are otherwise only found in
the Burren! A fine path to the summit of this hill has been
created through a FÁS project.
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