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TUAM |
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Northeast County Galway is served chiefly by the small market town
of TUAM (pronounced choom , from the Gaelic Tuaim meaning "grave mound").
There's little here to detain you, but should you wish to sniff out the
scant remnants of the town's former importance, have a look inside the
Church of Ireland cathedral on Galway Road. It's primarily a nineteenth-century
building, but survivals from the twelfth-century chancel include a
magnificent Romanesque arch, showing strong signs of Scandinavian
influence, and the accompanying east window. The shaft of an ornamented
high cross is set in the wall near the west door. It's a great shame
that so little remains of medieval Tuam; a monastery was founded here in
the sixth century by St Iarlath, a disciple of St Enda of Inishmore, and
in the medieval period Tuam became not only an archiepiscopal seat but
also the power centre of the O'Conors of Connacht. The high cross in the
town square dates from the twelfth century: it's highly decorated but
actually a bit of a patchwork, as the head and the shaft don't really
belong together.
The tourist office is in the Mill Museum (July-Aug Mon-Sat 10am-6pm; tel
093/25486) and can book accommodation. B&Bs include: Gabrielle Hurst ,
Dublin Rd (tel 093/25934, thp@iol.ie ; £33-40/¬41.90-50.79), or Mrs
O'Connor's pleasant Kilmore House , Galway Rd, Kilmore (tel 093/28118;
£33-40/¬41.90-50.79), half a mile out of town. For eating the place to
go is Cré na Cille on High St (tel 093 28232), which serves high-quality
food at low prices, though it is very popular locally and it's advisable
to book ahead.
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