The record of human settlement in Tuam dates back to the
Bronze Age when an area adjacent to Shop Street was used as a burial ground. The name
Tuam is a
cognate with the
Latin term ('burial mound'). The town's ancient name was , i.e. the burial mound of two shoulders. The name probably refers to the high ground on either side of the River Nanny, overlooking a probable fording point over the River Nanny (or Corchra). In 1875, a Bronze Age burial
urn was discovered in the area by workmen, dating from . Records date from the early sixth century and mention that a monk called
Jarlath was a member of a religious community at
Cloonfush some west of Tuam and adjacent to the religious settlement at
Kilbannon. According to the Life of
Brendan of Clonfert, Brendan eventually told Jarlath "Not here at all shall be thy resurrection". When Jarlath asked where this may be, Brendan responded: "Have a new chariot made for thou art old; and go thy way in it, and wherever the two hind shafts of the chariot will break, there will be thy resurrection, and that of many others with thee". Jarlath's wheel broke at Tuam (N.B: There is no evidence that the wheel actually broke at Tuam, or even that Saint Jarlath came in a chariot; it is likely that he simply picked the area to establish a monastery as there was already settlement there) and he established a monastery there, known as the
School of Tuam. In Ireland, early settlements typically arose through the establishment of a religious site, around which a town subsequently grew. In this way, Tuam grew up around the monastery and has kept the broken chariot wheel as its
heraldic symbol. In 1049,
Aedh O'Connor defeated , King of , making the
O'Connors provincial kings of Connacht. He then built a castle at Tuam and made it his principal stronghold. This event was directly responsible for the subsequent rise in the importance of the town. Its position dominated the Iar Connacht heartland of
Maigh Seóla. In the 12th century, the town became the centre of Provincial power during the 50-year reign of (r. 1106–1156). He also brought Tuam its most prominent status as seat of the
High King of Ireland which he achieved by force of arms during his long career. About 1140 Tairrdelbach founded an
Augustinian priory in Tuam with possession over three church sites in , east County Mayo. At the
Synod of Kells in
1152, the centre of government also became the ecclesiastical centre, as Tuam was elevated to an
Archbishopric, with as the first Archbishop. , as High King of Ireland from
1128–
1156, was a great patron of the Irish Church and it was due to his patronage that Tuam became the home of some masterpieces of 12th century Celtic art, including the
Cross of Cong. Tairrdelbach was succeeded by his son , the last native High King of Ireland. In
1164, Ruaidrí had a "wonderful castle" erected, with a large courtyard defended by lofty and massive walls and a deep moat into which the adjacent river was diverted through. This was the first Irish built stone castle. A small part of the castle still stands. Following the destruction of the first Cathedral in
1184, left Tuam and retired to
Cong Abbey, where he entrusted the Church valuables from the Cathedral at Tuam into the care of the abbot. This left Tuam as a small settlement and it wasn't until the early 17th century that it began to grow in importance again. Throughout history, Tuam has been an important commercial centre with fairs and markets being an important part of commerce in the region. One of its fairs dates to 1252 when
letters patent were granted to Archbishop MacFlynn by
Henry III of England. Other fairs were authorised by Charters granted by
James VI and I and
George III. The
Annals of the Four Masters record that in 1488 "A whirlwind attacked a number of persons, as they were
cutting turf on the bog of Tuaim-Mona, which killed one of them, and swelled the faces of the rest; and four others were killed by the same wind in Machaire-Chonnacht." The
High Cross of Tuam was brought to Dublin for the Great Exhibition of 1852. However, prior to its return to Tuam, a disagreement arose between the two Churches.
Catholic Archbishop Dr
John MacHale claimed the Cross rightfully belonged to Catholics, with Dean Charles Seymour of the Church of Ireland asserting a Protestant claim. Agreement was reached with the Cross erected halfway between both Cathedrals and positioned so that it was visible from all main streets of the town. It was in the square in the town centre in 1874. In July 1920,
Tuam Town Hall and other properties were attacked and badly damaged by armed
Royal Irish Constabulary men, after two had been killed in an ambush by the
Irish Republican Army near the town the day before. A monumental "Chair of Tuam" was unveiled in May 1980 by the late Cardinal
Tomás Ó Fiaich. or simply The Home, was a
maternity home for unmarried mothers and their children that operated between 1925 and 1961 in the town. It was run by the
Bon Secours religious order of nuns. From its construction in the mid-19th century until the early 20th century, before it was operated by the Bon Secours sisters, the building served as a
workhouse for the poor. Exploratory excavations carried out between November 2016 and February 2017 that had been ordered by the
Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, under Judge
Yvonne Murphy, found a "significant" quantity of human remains, aged from 35 foetal weeks to two to three years, interred in a disused former cesspit with twenty chambers. Most of the burials date from the 1950s. The report on the 2016/2017 excavations said: "The Commission has not yet determined what the purpose of this structure was but it appears to be related to the
treatment/containment of sewage and/or waste water. The Commission has also not yet determined if it was ever used for this purpose." Carbon dating confirmed that the remains date from the timeframe relevant to the operation of the Mother and Baby Home by the Bon Secours order. The Commission stated that it was shocked by the discovery and that it is continuing its investigation into who was responsible for the disposal of human remains in this way. An18strong team of experts commenced a forensic investigation of the site on 14 July 2025, an operation expected to last twoyears, conducted by the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam (ODAIT). This
exhumation is the result of a decade of effort by local people, survivors, campaigners, and journalists since the matter first came to public attention in 2014 through research by local historian Catherine Corless. Approximately 800 dead infants are thought to present. ==Administration==