St Mary's Cathedral

The first Cathedral on this site dates from the 12th century when Turlough O’Conor was High King of Ireland (1111-1156). This marked the establishment of Tuam as the seat of an Archbishop following the Synod of Kells in 1152. This first Cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1184 and the site was abandoned for almost 100 years.

In the 14th Century a 2nd Cathedral was built by the DeBurgo family but only what is referred to as the Synod Hall was ever completed. This was due to a money shortage because of the 100 years war in Europe. The 12th century Chancel and sanctuary of the first Cathedral was incorporated into the 2nd Cathedral and was used as the entrance of the Cathedral.

With the onset of the reformation in the 16th Century, Saint Mary’s followed the reformed tradition when William Mullaly was appointed as the 1st Protestant Archbishop of Tuam in 1573. With the coming of the railway to Tuam in 1860, and the enlargement of the army garrison, the local Anglican population increased to such an extent that the 14th Century Cathedral was no longer large enough to accommodate the congregation and this led to the building of a 3rd Cathedral on this site, designed by Sir Thomas Newenham Deane which was built between 1861 and 1878.

This 3rd Cathedral was built on the site of the 1st Cathedral and incorporated the 12th Century Hiberno-Romanesque arch as the sanctuary while the 2nd Cathedral became the synod hall which was restored between 1985-1987 and made available for community use. The 3rd Cathedral is still used today for Sunday Services which take place at 12.00 Noon.