Help needed with research - villages/small towns with public squares

[Eamonnca1]

Hi Gang,

Hope you don't mind me asking for a bit of help with a little research project I've got cooking.

I'm looking for examples of small towns or villages in Ireland (north or south) with a public square, i.e. a place that looks like it was originally designed as an open marketplace. If it has a historic town square that's been given over to car parking I'll take that too.

Examples of what I'm looking for:

• Donegal Town has a triangular "square" that's surrounded by traffic, but still a space that could in theory be used for public gatherings.
• Boyle in Co. Roscommon has what seems to be a historic town square that's been mostly given over to car parking.

Examples of what I'm not looking for:

• Lack Co. Fermanagh - just a straight road through it and nowhere to gather with your mates.
• Dromahair  Co. Leitrim - Seems like a nice village, but again I'm not aware of a clearly defined "public space" that's designed for just being there as a pedestrian, or could be utilised as such.

If you can find a place with <2000 people in it that has a public square, that'd be great. I'm struggling to find any.

And if you can't think of any, let me know because I'd find that helpful too.

Thanks!

[Armagh18]

Cross and Newtown in Armagh off top of my head.

Apologies, may both have too high of populations.

[pbat]

Bessbrook Co Armagh

[Armagh18]

The Moy in thon other county.

[Armagh18]

Hilltown in Down.

[Eamonnca1]

This is very helpful. Thanks, lads. Seems like the villages have to get bigger before a public square appears. I'm struggling to find one in any place with less than 1000 people in it.

[Armagh18]

This is very helpful. Thanks, lads. Seems like the villages have to get bigger before a public square appears. I'm struggling to find one in any place with less than 1000 people in it.

Yeah you’d imagine squares historically would have been in market towns which would naturally grow into larger populations

[Dougal Maguire]

Rostrevor Co Down

[AustinPowers]

Lisdoonvarna?

[Dougal Maguire]

Killough Co Down

[screenexile]

Ballinascreen/Draperstown Co. Derry

[whitey]

http://www.historicalballinrobe.com/page_id__36.aspx

Ballinrobe (Cornmarket)

[armaghniac]

This is very helpful. Thanks, lads. Seems like the villages have to get bigger before a public square appears. I'm struggling to find one in any place with less than 1000 people in it.

Did these places have 1000 people when the square was established? Cross had a population of 828 in 1901. A few housing estates built in the last 50 odd years have little relevance to the original settlement when markets took place.

[J70]

Makes sense that they’d have to be a certain size to have a square.

The Diamond in Donegal Town was traditionally used as a fair ground before the mart was built in the town. It’s literally where the three main roads, south to Ballyshannon, northeast to Ballybofey and west to Killybegs, intersected. Basically a logical, central location for south Donegal commerce.

Supposedly the Diamond was originally laid out by Basil Brooke not long after the Flight of the Earls (he took over the O’Donnell castle), so it’s been around in some form for 400 years.

[armaghniac]

Diamonds are a very planter thing.