The Square, Dublin
Encyclopedia
The Square Shopping Centre is a shopping centre in Tallaght
in South Dublin County. It is located at the junction of the Belgard Road dual carriageway (the R113
) and the N81
and is beside the Luas
Red Line terminus (see thumbnail).
The shopping centre opened on the 23rd October 1990 to a crowd of 45,000 by the Taoiseach at the time Charles Haughey
.
It was the first of four large shopping complexes built in the towns surrounding Dublin from the late 1980s onwards and was for a while the largest shopping centre in Ireland
. The others are Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, Liffey Valley Shopping Centre
and Dundrum Town Centre
.
Anchor tenants at the centre are Tesco Ireland
, Debenhams
, HMV
, River Island
, Barratts
and Dunnes Stores
. From November 1990 until March 8, 2010, a multiplex cinema operated by United Cinemas International
was in operation on level three, but this was closed because Alburn, the landlords of The Square, did not re-new the contract for the cinema and it was also stated that they had no plans to re-new the contract for the cinema. In the near future, it is expected a new cinema will open in the former spot of the UCI cinema.
The Square, Tallaght also has several fast-food restaurants (including McDonald's
, Burger King
, KFC
and Abrakebabra
). A major hotel, the Plaza, is adjacent to the site.
Unlike the other centres, the Square is not only a commercial but a civic centre, in that the Office of the Revenue Commissioners
have an office there and the Department of Social and Family Affairs, the Health Service Executive (Eastern Region) and FÁS
share a building on the car park of level one. In addition, both the headquarters of South Dublin
County Council and the Tallaght branch of South Dublin Libraries are adjacent to the site. The Adelaide and Meath Hospital is also located nearby.
The Square is currently being upgraded and will shortly double in size.
Tallaght
Tallaght is the largest town, and county town, of South Dublin County, Ireland. The village area, dating from at least the 17th century, held one of the earliest settlements known in the southern part of the island, and one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres.Up to the 1960s...
in South Dublin County. It is located at the junction of the Belgard Road dual carriageway (the R113
R113 road
The R113 road is a regional road in Ireland. Located in the east of Ireland at Dublin, it forms a semi-orbital route around the south of the city. As of 2007, clockwise, it starts at the N31 at Temple Hill in Blackrock and ends at a junction with the N4 at Palmerstown.The road is one of the...
) and the N81
N81 road
The N81 road is a national secondary road in Ireland, connecting the gates of Trinity College, Dublin to Tullow, County Carlow, north to south. The N81 continues past Tullow for another 8 km to terminate at the village of Closh, County Carlow, where it intersects the N80. The N81 is long...
and is beside the Luas
Luas
Luas , also promoted in the development stage as the Dublin Light Rail System, is a tram or light rail system serving Dublin, the first such system in the decades since the closure of the last of the Dublin tramways. In 2007, the system carried 28.4 million passengers, a growth of 10% since...
Red Line terminus (see thumbnail).
The shopping centre opened on the 23rd October 1990 to a crowd of 45,000 by the Taoiseach at the time Charles Haughey
Charles Haughey
Charles James "Charlie" Haughey was Taoiseach of Ireland, serving three terms in office . He was also the fourth leader of Fianna Fáil...
.
It was the first of four large shopping complexes built in the towns surrounding Dublin from the late 1980s onwards and was for a while the largest shopping centre in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The others are Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, Liffey Valley Shopping Centre
Liffey Valley Shopping Centre
Liffey Valley Shopping Centre is a shopping centre, that is located in Clondalkin in Dublin 22. The centre opened in 1998 and is located at the junction of the M50 motorway and N4 road...
and Dundrum Town Centre
Dundrum Town Centre
"Dundrum Town Centre" is the name of a shopping centre located in Dundrum, in Dublin, in Ireland. It is Ireland's largest shopping centre with over 160 tenants, more than 80,000 square metres of floor space and over 3,400 car parking spaces...
.
Anchor tenants at the centre are Tesco Ireland
Tesco Ireland
Tesco Ireland is the Irish arm of supermarket group Tesco. It was formed in Tesco plc's 1997 takeover of the Irish retailing operations of Associated British Foods, namely Powers' Supermarkets Limited and its subsidiaries, trading as Quinnsworth and Crazy Prices.Tesco operates supermarkets under...
, Debenhams
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
, HMV
HMV
His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
, River Island
River Island
River Island is one of Britain's best known high street fashion brands and can be found in most cities across the UK. The brand also has stores in Singapore, Turkey, Poland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the Middle East.-History:...
, Barratts
Barratts
Barratts Priceless Ltd incorporates two long established high street brands in Barratts Shoes and Priceless Shoes in 2010. The Barratts shoes brand trades from 100 UK and Éire Stores and is committed to providing affordable fashion footwear...
and Dunnes Stores
Dunnes Stores
Dunnes Stores, also known as Dunnes, is a supermarket and clothing retail chain, that is based in Dublin, Ireland.The chain primarily sells food, clothes and household wares. In addition to its main customer base in Ireland, the chain has operations in Great Britain and Spain...
. From November 1990 until March 8, 2010, a multiplex cinema operated by United Cinemas International
United Cinemas International
UCI Cinemas is a brand of cinema, currently operating in Austria, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Brazil...
was in operation on level three, but this was closed because Alburn, the landlords of The Square, did not re-new the contract for the cinema and it was also stated that they had no plans to re-new the contract for the cinema. In the near future, it is expected a new cinema will open in the former spot of the UCI cinema.
The Square, Tallaght also has several fast-food restaurants (including McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
, Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
, KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
and Abrakebabra
Abrakebabra
Abrakebabra is an Irish fast food restaurant franchise chain owned by Abrakebabra Investments, established in 1982.When the first Abrakebabra restaurant was opened in Rathmines in Dublin, it attracted a young market because of its late opening hours and novel menu including kebabs and taco fries.In...
). A major hotel, the Plaza, is adjacent to the site.
Unlike the other centres, the Square is not only a commercial but a civic centre, in that the Office of the Revenue Commissioners
Office of the Revenue Commissioners
The Office of the Revenue Commissioners , - now called simply Revenue - is the Irish Government agency responsible for customs, excise, taxation and related matters...
have an office there and the Department of Social and Family Affairs, the Health Service Executive (Eastern Region) and FÁS
Foras Áiseanna Saothair
An Foras Áiseanna Saothair , referred to in English as the Training and Employment Authority and commonly known as FÁS , is a state agency in Ireland with responsibility for assisting those seeking employment...
share a building on the car park of level one. In addition, both the headquarters of South Dublin
South Dublin
South Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is one of three smaller counties into which County Dublin was divided in 1994. The county seat is Tallaght, the largest suburb of Dublin and the biggest urban centre in the county. Other important centres of population are Lucan and Clondalkin...
County Council and the Tallaght branch of South Dublin Libraries are adjacent to the site. The Adelaide and Meath Hospital is also located nearby.
The Square is currently being upgraded and will shortly double in size.