Tuam Travel Guide

The trains don't run to Tuam anymore - a great pity. But there is now a campaign called "west=on=track" to bring them back.

The old railway building have however has become a nice location for a good cafe.

There are plenty of bits a pieces of railwayana left to look at.

Favorite Dish: Fried Brekkie is excellent, with a humungous pot of tea. It was like a magicians hat - the tea never seemed to stop coming out of the spout. Spent most of the rest of the morning finding bogs (to piddle in rather than dig up and burn) around the town.

They also serve very hearty dinners. Normall bacon, chicken, beef and one other meat are on the menu. All are served on the hottest plates you have ever come across with mountains of vegtables and potatoes.

If you want a traditional irish pub that is unspoilt by tourism this is it.

The inside gives reminders of when most Irish pubs also sold everything else you needed. The Guinness is kept well and the age range of people is diverse.

The ceiling apparantly was was last repaired in 1922. The tradesman in question absconded to the USA for some reason and the job has never been completed since.

An Irishman once told me that the word "manyana" (spanish) has an equilvalent word in irish but - "without the sense of urgency".

That sums this place up !

UPDATE : 2007. curses ! the place has had a total re-vamp. Despite that, it still looks pretty much like it did before. The new owners have also dramatically changed the food menu. The wife of the partnership is Slovakian - so the food has a quite East European feel to it. I ate a rather wonderful Hungarian goulash, with lashings of paprika in it.

Dress Code: eh ? it's a pub !

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The nearest airport to Tuam is Galway. It is however a very small airport with few connected destinations. Look up 'aer arann' who are the main users of the airport, with flights from Dublin and a couple of places in the UK.

The other alternative to Knock International airport in County Mayo. It's about a 40 minute drive from Tuam. Various low cost operaters now use this airport including Ryanair, BMIbaby and Mytravelite. They fly to arious UK destinations such as Stansted, Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester. You may also get a seat on a charter flight to the airport.

For more details have a look at my Knock page.

There are tree (sorry three) computers available for internat acess at the town library in shop street.

If you are around for a few days then you join as a member for only a couple of quid.

Alternatively opposte the library is a reasonably priced web cafe (with little emphasis on the Cafe bit) called Chat'rnet...

VT is never far away.

I'm not entirely sure why Americans feel the need to add 'ing' to golf...Do they learn grammar in school ?

Anyway, if you feel the need to ruin a good walk then Tuam can lay claim to two parkland-type courses that both readily accept visitors.

The Tuam golf course is just over 100 years old whilst the new Ardacong course is 2kms north of the town on the Sligo road.

There is also a pitch & putt course if you just fancy a shorter diversion. There is also a nice little cafe at the location, about 2kms out of town on the Dublin Road.

Favorite thing: The band the 'Saw doctors' are all Tuam men, born and dragged up. They tour all over the world. Perhaps best known as a raucous stage act, they have a devoted following in Ireland, an almost manical devotion in Tuam. They are also known right across America.

They still play hometown gigs occassionally, and band members can often be found having a quiet drink in a local bar.

Many of their songs refer to their hometown such as a personal favourite of mine about the N17 (the road from Galway to Tuam) whose lyrics lie below :

Well I didn't see much future
When I left the Christian brothers school
So I waved it goodbye with a wistful smile
And I left the girls of Tuam
And sometimes when I'm reminiscing
I see the prefabs and my old friends
And I know that they'll be changed or gone
By the time I get home again

Chorus:
And I wish I was on that N 17
(Stone walls and the grasses green)
Yes I wish I was on that N 17
(Stone walls and the grasses green)
Travelling with just my thoughts and dreams

Well the ould fella left me to Shannon
Was the last time I travelled that road
and as I turned left at Claregalway
I could feel a lump in my throat
As I pictured the thousands of times
That I travelled that well worn track
And I know that things would be different
If I ever decide to go back

Chorus:

Now as I tumble down highways
Or filthy overcrowded trains
There's no one to talk to in transit
So I sit there and daydream in vain
And behind all these muddled up problems
Of living on a foreign soil
I can still see the twists and turns on the road
From the square to the town of the tribes