Red Square in Waterford is no more - but try telling that to residents of the city. From now on, officially at least, the open space at the top of the newly pedestrianised Barronstrand Street is to be known as John Roberts Square, in honour of the 18th century architect who designed many of Waterford's most prominent buildings.
Business leaders are delighted with the name, believing the Red Square tag to have contributed to the city's image until recent years as a hotbed of militant trade unionism.
The name had a much more innocent origin, however, deriving from the red paving stones placed in the square more than a decade ago. It has taken root, however, and will be difficult to remove from common usage.
"The notion of acknowledging people who've made a contribution to the city is a good one, but leave Red Square alone," said the playwright and theatre director Jim Nolan, when canvassed for his view.
The space - it's actually closer to a triangle than a square - was simply known as The Cross in his younger days, Mr Nolan recalls, but now a whole generation of younger people have known it as nothing other than Red Square.
At the other end of the city centre you'll find Times Square, so named when a clock was erected at the site of the apple market, opposite Geoff's Pub. Such names, says Mr Nolan, are the "poetry of the street".
Ms Monica Leech, the president of Waterford Chamber of Commerce, says she will definitely be calling it John Roberts Square. Getting others to do so, she admits, will be "a bit of a job", but "it's up to ourselves, to the chamber, and to the media, to keep referring to it as John Roberts Square".
Director of the street theatre company Spraoi Mr T.V. Honan adopted a diplomatic stance. "When I'm talking to officialdom I'll call it John Roberts Square and in day-to-day usage I'll probably continue to call it Red Square, out of force of habit and for the craic."
A plaque dedicated to Roberts was unveiled by the Mayor of Waterford, Mr Pat Hayes, on Saturday. An afternoon of music, dance, street entertainment and a children's art competition was organised around the ceremony by the arts office of Waterford Corporation, but many events were cancelled because of heavy rain.
Buildings designed by Roberts include the city's two cathedrals, the City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce building on George's St and the former infirmary on John's Hill.