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.[1]