John Robert’s Sq.

The site along Barronstrand street in Waterford, colloquially known as "Red Square", is considered to be the principal square of the city. This triangular area of urban space is visually linked to the river and slopes markedly, rising four metres across the site.

The scheme proposed by Bernard Seymour Landscape Architect set out to simplify the arrangement of elements while enriching a public space that had become run down and neglected. A subtle treatment of the space was intended to produce a muted yet distinguished backdrop to the colourful and robust décor of the enclosing elements, consisting mainly of shopfronts, fast food restaurants and, significantly, the catholic Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity. The project also comprised of the concept for pedestrianisation the square and the adjoining street

The commissioned sculptor, Eileen Mac Donough, had proposed an austere crystalline form in black Indian granite and a decision was made to produce a bespoke bench in the same material. This granite was used as an unpolished sett, marking a lost natural watercourse from which the sculpture extrudes.