NatRailway station · 1850–1855Ceannt Railway StationStation Road, GalwayPhoto: calflier001 · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons file
Ceannt Railway Station · Photo: calflier001 · CC BY-SA 2.081buildings on the National Inventory
History of Eyre Square · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
History in Eyre Square reaches back to 1400: 81 buildings on the National Inventory
Eyre Square has 81 buildings on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, 2 of them of national importance. Per 10,000 residents that makes 119; the typical town has 48. Inside the town, the Sites and Monuments Record lists 27 archaeological sites.
On the National Inventory
81
119 per 10,000 residents
typical town: 48
typical town: 48
Of national importance
2
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
27
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1400
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
4.3%
typical town: 3.4%
In pictures
Eyre Square’s landmarks in 8 photos, with 3 old views
Photos show 1 of Eyre Square’s places of national importance. The photos cover 9 of Eyre Square’s recorded places; the rest have a record card. Eyre Square before 1950 appears in old photographs from 1880 to 1905.
Mayoralty HouseRegional rating (NIAH)
Old DockRegional rating (NIAH)
William O'Brien BridgeRegional rating (NIAH)
The Galway HookerRegional rating (NIAH)
Blake's CastleRegional rating (NIAH)+3See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the place’s page. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Through time
Eyre Square from 1880 to 1905
3 old photographs, in date order. All made before 1950.
1880
1890s
1905From Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server: public domain, or from the National Library of Ireland’s collections (Lawrence, Poole, Eason and others) with no known copyright restrictions. Each credit opens the image’s page.
How old
Most of Eyre Square’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
Middle Ages 500–14994
1500–1799 three centuries17
19th century 1800–189956
1900 and later to today4
21 of the 81 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is Comerford House, from 1400.
The map
Where Eyre Square’s history is
Every building and site on the record inside the town, by its rating.
National and InternationalRegional and other sites
Hover a dot for its name; tap one to open its page.
The 81, by rating
2 National and International79 Regional and other sites
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage is the State’s survey of buildings from 1700 to today, county by county; each record gives a rating, dates, a type and an appraisal. Being on it is not legal protection: that is each council’s Record of Protected Structures.
Points from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and the Sites and Monuments Record, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY 4.0).
National and International
2 places of national importance in Eyre Square
Buildings the National Inventory rates National or International: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Each one opens its own page.
Hotel · 1850–1860Hotel, 14-15 Eyre Square, Galway
Regional and other sites
79 more historic places in Eyre Square
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 45, A to Z
ArdmeenAugustine CourtBlake's CastleBohermore Cemetery (building misc)Bohermore Cemetery (church / chapel)Bohermore Cemetery (church / chapel)Bohermore Cemetery (gates / railings / walls)Cathedral BuildingCeannt Railway Station (signal box, water tower, turntable)Ceannt Railway Station (train shed)Ceannt Railway Station (unknown)Comerford HouseDún Uí Mhaoilíosa (barracks)Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa (barracks)Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa (building misc)Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa (building misc)Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa (building misc)Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa (church / chapel)Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa (hospital / infirmary)Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa (magazine)Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa (office)Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa (officers' mess)Eyre HouseForster HouseForthill GraveyardGalway Magdalen HomeGalway United Methodist and Presbyterian ChurchLough Atalia ViaductMayoralty HouseNiland HouseO'Connell'sOld DockOzanam HouseOzanam HouseSaint Augustine's Catholic ChurchSaint Patrick's HallSteamship HouseSwan HouseThe Browne DoorwayThe Galway HookerThe GrainstoreThe Halls (house)The Halls (house)William O'Brien BridgeYeats College
34 recorded by their type and address
34 are recorded only by their type and address: 23 homes, 3 public buildings and 2 walls, gates and bridges; most date from the 19th century.
15th century1
16th century5
18th century7
19th century20
20th century1
Historic streets
Renmore Road has the most
Streets with three or more buildings on the record, by the address it gives.
Renmore Road10 on the record
Eyre Square9 on the record · 1 of national importance
Forster Street5 on the record
Cross Street5 on the record
Flood Street5 on the record
Saint Augustine Street4 on the record
Quay Street4 on the record
Station Road4 on the record · 1 of national importance
Middle Street3 on the record
High Street3 on the record
Merchant's Road3 on the record
Of the 81 records, 72 give a street address.
What’s recorded
Eyre Square’s largest group: homes, 44% of the record
Two of the highest-rated records are Ceannt Railway Station and Comerford House. That mix leans to public buildings: 12% in Eyre Square, against 6% across the National Inventory. Eyre Square’s record covers 10 kinds of building in all.
Homes36
Public buildings10
Churches and chapels8
Walls, gates and bridges6
Mills, stations and works3
Inns, shops and warehouses2
Farm and estate buildings2
Memorials and tombs1
Street furniture1
Other buildings12
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in Eyre Square
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
27 archaeological sites inside the town
Sites on the Record of Monuments and Places, the statutory list drawn from this record, are protected by law: anyone planning work at or near one must give the National Monuments Service two months’ notice.
| Bastioned fort4 records |
| Ritual site - holy well4 records |
| Boundary stone1 record |
| Designed landscape - tree-ring1 record |
| Ringfort - rath1 record |
| Graveyard1 record |
| Religious house - Augustinian friars1 record |
| Hospital1 record |
| Castle - hall-house1 record |
| Castle - tower house1 record |
| Water mill - unclassified1 record |
| Dovecote1 record |
| Quay1 record |
| Pier/Jetty1 record |
| Castle - Anglo-Norman masonry castle1 record |
| 6 more kinds6 records |
Homes by age
Few of Eyre Square’s homes are newer than 2011: 2.5%, against 5.8%
The busiest building years in Eyre Square were from 1946 to 1980, which account for 43% of today’s homes. Homes built in the 2000s make up just 9.6% of Eyre Square’s, against 25% in the typical town. 4.3% of Eyre Square’s homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town.
4.3%
Before 1919
2.6%
1919–45
43%
1946–80
38%
1981–2000
9.6%
2001–10
2.5%
Since 2011
Eyre SquareTypical town
Census 2022, households by the year their home was built (CSO, Small Area Population Statistics, CC BY 4.0); the typical town is the middle Irish town of 2,500 or more.
Neighbours
Eyre Square and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eyre Square | 6,801 | 81 | 2 | 27 |
| Woodquay and Nuns Island | 4,948 | 120 | 6 | 59 |
| Mervue | 4,126 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Claddagh | 2,755 | 19 | 0 | 11 |
| Murrough | 2,909 | 4 | 0 | 17 |
| Newcastle | 4,032 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Ballinfoile and Terryland | 5,851 | 9 | 0 | 30 |
In brief
Eyre Square in brief
More of Eyre Square’s homes are old than in most places: 4.3% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. All told, the list holds 81 places on the record, 2 of them in the top tier. Per resident, it has more recorded buildings than 77% of Irish towns of 2,500 or more. On Renmore Road alone there are 10 places on the record.
Most of its dated monuments come from the 19th century: 56 of 81. The oldest, Comerford House, dates from 1400. It also has 27 archaeological sites on the record. The rest is about typical: it has 81 recorded buildings, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 81).
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The National Inventory. The State’s survey of post-1700 buildings, made county by county since 1990 (NIAH); a few records are older. It records; it does not protect.
- Ratings. International and National: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Regional: in its region. Local and record-only buildings get no page here.
- Archaeology. The Sites and Monuments Record (National Monuments Service) lists known archaeological sites; the national monuments to visit and the sites with an encyclopedia article get pages here.
- Protection. Both registers are surveys, not protection: a building is protected by its council’s Record of Protected Structures, and no national open list joins the 31 councils’ records.
- The grade. Ireland’s History grade is not built yet: the page describes, and gives no grade.
Questions about Eyre Square’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Eyre Square?
81 buildings on the National Inventory, 2 of them of national importance, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Which places in Eyre Square are of national importance?
Ceannt Railway Station and Hotel, 14-15 Eyre Square, Galway.
What is the oldest building in Eyre Square?
Comerford House: the first date on its record is 1400.
Are there archaeological sites in Eyre Square?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 27 archaeological sites inside Eyre Square.
How old are the homes in Eyre Square?
4.3% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town.
Are the buildings on this page protected?
Being on the National Inventory or the Sites and Monuments Record is a record, not protection by itself: buildings are protected by their council’s Record of Protected Structures, which each council keeps and no national open list gathers, so this page can’t say which are on it.
This page describes its history; it gives no grade.
Source: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and Sites and Monuments Record, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY 4.0); Wikidata (CC0).
Sources: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (buildingsofireland.ie) · Sites and Monuments Record and the National Monuments Service’s monuments to visit · CSO Census 2022 (homes by the year built) · Photos: Wikimedia Commons, including the National Library of Ireland’s collections, each credited with its licence and copied to our own server · Wikidata (CC0) for other names and articles. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).