Andrew Egan
Encyclopedia
Andrew Egan, architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

 and builder
General contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...

, c. 1810-9th October 1863.

Egan was a member of a noted County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...

 family, Mac Aodhagáin
Mac Aodhagáin
Mac Aodhagáin was the name of an Irish family of Brehons who were hereditary lawyers - firstly to the Ó Conchobhair Kings of Connacht, and later to the Burkes of Clanricarde....

. He is thought to have been born on Tuam
Tuam
Tuam is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The name is pronounced choo-um . It is situated west of the midlands of Ireland, and north of Galway city.-History:...

's Old Road or at Cloonsheen. His father was a stonemason and he had siblings Patrick, Thomas, Bridget and Elizabeth. He began his apprenticship in 1826, the same year as the foundation stone of Tuam's new Catholic Cadhedral. By the late 1830's, 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 Free School was constructed, and it is believed that Egan was the contractor. By 1839 he was classed a Master Builder
Master Builder
Master Builder can refer to:* Master builder, also "master mason", a central figure leading construction projects in pre-modern times .* The Master Builder, a play by Henrik Ibsen....

 and was optaining commissions from Tuam diocese. He married Margaret Lyons of Tuam on the 20th 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 till his death Egan was in continuous work. His most notable work was Tuam Town Hall, the foundation stone been laid in 1857. Others include the Glenamaddy
Glenamaddy
Glenamaddy is a small town in County Galway, Ireland. It lies at the crossroads where the R362 and R364 regional roads intersect.Glenamaddy is the most important town in the northeastern corner of County Galway. It became the musical capital of Connacht during the 1960s when the Showband craze...

 workhouse, the bridge at Dunmore, 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.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK