Andrew Egan (c.1810 – 9 October 1863) was an Irish

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and

builder Builder may refer to: Construction * Construction worker, who specializes in building work * Carpenter, a skilled craftsman who works with wood * General contractor, that specializes in building work ** Subcontractor * Real estate developer, who ...

. Egan was a member of a noted

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

family,

Mac Aodhagáin Mac Aodhagáin ( English: ''Egan'' or ''Keegan''), is an Irish Gaelic clan of Brehons who were hereditary lawyers - firstly to the Ó Conchobhair Kings of Connacht, and later to the Burkes of Clanricarde. The earliest surviving Irish law ma ...

. He is thought to have been born on

Tuam Tuam (; , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midland Region, Ireland, midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. The town is in a civil parishe ...

's Old Road or at Cloonsheen. His father was a

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar ...

and he had siblings Patrick, Thomas, Bridget and Elizabeth. He began his apprenticeship in 1826, the same year as the foundation stone of Tuam's new Catholic Cathedral. By the late 1830s, Egan had progressed far enough to be entrusted with a supervisory role in the erection of the Bell Tower of the cathedral. In 1838, the local

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Free School was constructed, and it is believed that Egan was the contractor. By 1839 he was classed a

Master Builder A master builder or master mason is a central figure leading construction projects in pre-modern times (a combination of a modern expert carpenter, construction site supervisor, and architect / engineer). Historically, the term has generally ref ...

and was obtaining commissions from Tuam diocese. He married Margaret Lyons of Tuam on 20 October 1839. Their children were Mary Jane (born 1841, died young), William (1843), Thomas Andrew (1847), John Joseph (1852), Emilea Patricia (1854), Isabel Cecily (1857) and Mary, who also died young. From 1839 until his death, Egan was in continuous work. His most notable work was the construction of

Tuam Town Hall Tuam Town Hall () is a municipal building in the Market Square at Tuam, County Galway, Ireland. It is currently used as a community events venue. History The first municipal building in the town was a small market house which was built on the s ...

, the foundation stone been laid in 1857. Others include the

Glenamaddy Glenamaddy, or Glennamaddy (), is a small town in County Galway, Ireland. 50 km north-east of Galway city, it lies at the crossroads of the R362 and R364 roads. Glenamaddy became a musical focal point in Connacht during the 1960s during ...

workhouse, the bridge at

Dunmore Dunmore from the or , meaning "great fort", may refer to: People * Dunmore (surname) * Earl of Dunmore, a title in the Peerage of Scotland, includes a list of earls * Countess of Dunmore (disambiguation), a list of wives of earls of Dunmore Pl ...

, the Presentation Convent, the Presbytery, as well as houses for middle-class and gentry families – Castlegrove, Toghermore, Oakmount and Brownesgrove. In addition, he was responsible for constructing various properties in the suburbs, Dublin Road, Waterslade Place, Foster Terrace, Eastland Row, the Square. Because of this, he is considered 'the builder of Tuam'. In addition, his obituary stated that he was responsible for erecting nearly all the churches, convents and public buildings within twenty miles of Tuam. These include Kilbannon church.

References

Sources

* ''The Mark of a Man:The Life of Andrew Egan, Builder and Architect of Tuam'', Deirdre Goggin, pp. 39–62, Journal of the Old Tuam Society, volume one, 2004. {{DEFAULTSORT:Egan, Andrew 1863 deaths 19th-century Irish architects People from Tuam Architects from County Galway Year of birth uncertain