Tuam

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TUAM

County : Galway

Official blazon

Argent in chief a Latin cross gules and in base a broken wheel sable between two flaunches vert each charged with an antique crown or. Motto : Tuath Thuama go Buan.

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on September 6, 1991.

The Latin cross is a reminder of Tuam’s ecclesiastical importance as the seat of an archbishop. Twin flaunches in green represent the two shoulders or hills of Tuam as in its ancient name Tuaim dá Ghualainn (the tumulus of the two shoulders). The broken wheel recalls the legend of the founding of monastic Tuam by St Jarlath at the place where his chariot wheel broke. The two crowns recall the 12th century high kings of Ireland, Turlough and Roderic O’Connor, who resided in Tuam.