Castle - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

In the centre of Tuam town (GA029-199----): the site appears to have occupied the crest of a rise overlooking an old fording point on the River Nanny to NW. Under the year 1161, the Annals record that Roderic O'Conor erected a 'Castrum Mirificum' at Tuam (Story 1693, 152). This may be the same as the castle of 'Tuame' mentioned in the list of 1574 (Nolan 1901b, 117), then in the possession of 'Tharchbushop [sic]'. According to OS Letters (O'Flanagan 1927, Vol. 1, 33), the castle 'stood across the centre of Shop Street, within a few yards of the Mitre Hotel'. At least one 17th-C writer refers to 'walls … standing to the present day [i.e. 1666]' (see Waldron 1973), and OS Letters (ibid.) record that 'part of the wall of the bawn is used as the front wall of two publick houses'. These accounts contrast with that of Lewis (1873, Vol. 2, 648, also 646) who, having stated that only 'slight remains' survive, proceeds to outline an elaborate picture of the original. All that survives is an enigmatic D-shaped stone structure (N-S 2.1m int., E-W 1.7m), opening to N, which is embedded in S boundary wall of a supermarket carpark, 230m W of Shop St. Its interior was excavated to a depth of 2m in 1979 (information from E. Rynne). During the course of demolition work in 1987, further investigations revealed part of its curving outer wall face (D c. 3m ext.) and showed that it was at least 4.5m in height (information from P. Gosling). While its date and function are still uncertain, its resemblance to a late or post medieval wall turret is notable. It now contains a replica of the 'Chair of Tuam' (see GA029-172----).

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II - North Galway'. Compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999).

Date of upload: 05 August 2010