A new virtual life for Tuam's High Cross

THIRTY years after it was controversially moved from the town square to St Mary’s Cathedral, Tuam’s iconic High Cross is set to get a new life, this time in a virtual world.

Using a process called photogrammetry and state-of-the-art digital technology, the Cross and its detailed carvings, many of which are difficult to make out with the naked eye, will become 3D models that will be accessible from anywhere in the world.

The project aims to showcase the wonderful features of the sandstone monument and to allow the story that its carvings tell to be accessed and interpreted by a much wider audience, locally and globally.

The Old Tuam Society, which has spearheaded the project in conjunction with the Heritage Office of Galway County Council, is hopeful that the high resolution images may even reveal previously undiscovered details of the monument.

The Cross stood in the town square for many decades, but was relocated to St Mary’s Cathedral in April 1992 in order to best preserve it. The sandstone structure had deteriorated as a result of weathering and pollution and had also been accidentally struck on occasion.

Read the full feature in this week's edition of The Tuam Herald, on sale in shops and online here