Eyre Square serves as a focal point of the city and is often billed as the official starting point for any traditional tour of Galway. Eyre Square served a multitude of functions throughout Galway’s history. In medieval days, it was a large open space in front of the town’s main gate. Known simply as The Green, it was a place of assembly, whether for public hangings or more mundane pursuits. In the early 19th century the area was enclosed with a stonewall to form a parade ground for soldiers. It derived the name Eyre Square in honor of the Eyre family, whose owned extensive property in this part of town. In 1965 the park was renamed John F Kennedy Memorial Park in honour of the slain president, who visited Galway in 1963.

The newly renovated Eyre Square is intended to serve as a focal point for civic life. But in recent years its been as much a source of civic unrest. An extensive renovation of the Square, originally planned as a tribute to the millennium, was undertaken in 2003 after much squabble about its future vision. Progress soon ground to a halt, as the main contractor became disgruntled and abandoned the site, leaving behind a gaping chasm of overturned dirt and construction debris, shrouded in fencing. For weary Galwegians the project was routinely derided as a monumental showcase of inefficiency and waste. Now open and fully functioning the past is another country and we have all learned to get used to our 'New' Eyre Square.

In the centre of Eyre Square is Quincentennial Fountain, established in 1984 to mark the five-hundredth anniversary of Galway's city charter, granted by King Richard III (1484). Its natural rust look is the desired effect, evokes the dark brown colour of the sails used on Galway’s fishing boats. The Charter finally freed the city from the feudal lordship of the de Burgo family, and established the rule of the fourteen major families - the famous 'Tribes of Galway' .These families were the descendants of the settlers who came to Galway after the Norman invasion of Connacht. Near the fountain is one of the monuments of these families - the Browne Doorway, once the entrance to that families' mansion which stood in the town.At the south end of the square is the Great Southern Hotel, a landmark building built in the 1850s after the rail-link between Galway and Dublin was established. Further on from the hotel is the Bank of Ireland building in which the ceremonial sword and mace of the city are on display. Continue along from the bank to the Eyre Square Shopping Centre in which some of the original old walls of the city are preserved in a bizarre setting. From this point to the river demarcates the old city wall boundary.