Eyre Square (John F. Kennedy Memorial Park)

Why go

Eyre Square is the hinge of Galway: the railway station, the city bus stops and the coach stations are all on or beside it, and the shopping streets of the Latin Quarter run downhill from its western corner. Most visitors pass through it on arrival. It is worth pausing, though, because the square holds some of the city’s most interesting stories, and from November to December it hosts one of Ireland’s best-known Christmas markets. Its official name is John F. Kennedy Memorial Park, though nobody in Galway calls it that.

What to see

• The square’s history. According to Galway City Council, the land was officially presented to the city in 1710 by Mayor Edward Eyre, who gave it his name. In 1801 General Meyrick built a stone wall around it, and for a time it was known as Meyrick Square. It was redeveloped in the Georgian style in the mid-19th century and rebuilt again in the 1960s and from 2004.
• JFK’s visit. On 29 June 1963 President John F. Kennedy came to Galway for barely an hour. Galway City Museum records that, at the Browne Doorway, the Borough Council presented him with a replica of the Great Mace of Galway and the Freedom of the City, and he told the crowd that on a clear day, looking west from the bay, they might see Boston. The square was renamed in his honour in 1965, after his assassination.
• The Browne Doorway. A carved stone doorway from a former merchant family’s house, standing on its own at the north end of the square.
• The medieval walls. Discover Ireland notes that a 60-metre stretch of the city’s medieval wall, with two original towers, Penrice’s Tower and the Shoemaker’s Tower, is preserved inside the Eyre Square Shopping Centre, with information boards. The wall was begun in 1270.
• The 19th-century city. Galway City Council’s Wonder Wander trail for the square points out the banks, Ceannt Station, the historic Railway Hotel (now the Hardiman) and Georgian-style terraces around it.

Plan your visit

The square is a public park, open at all times and free. Galway Ceannt railway station is on the square, most city bus routes start here, including the 401 to Salthill, and the Aran Island Ferries shuttle bus leaves from Victoria Place, just off it. Free Wonder Wander trail leaflets covering the square and the old city core are available at the city museum, libraries and the tourist office.

The Christmas market

From 6 November to 22 December 2026 the Galway Christmas Market fills the square with more than 70 wooden chalets selling gifts, crafts, food and festive drinks. It opens 12pm to 8pm Monday to Wednesday, 10am to 10pm Thursday to Saturday and 10am to 8pm on Sunday, with the beer tent open until 10pm every day. Entry is free; selected attractions such as Santa’s Cabin need tickets, and reserved seating in the beer tent is sold separately. The View Wheel and vintage amusements stay on until 3 January 2027. On 22 December the market is open until 10pm, though some traders may leave earlier. There are step-free ramps, an accessible toilet and an accessible parking bay on Eyre Square North, beside the wheel.

Nearby

Walk down Williamsgate Street into Shop Street and the Latin Quarter, or detour to St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church and the Hall of the Red Earl.