The Eyres after whom the village is named, as well as other places such as Eyre Square in Galway, were an English family who came over with Cromwell. They were for many years closely associated with the local hunt, the Galway Blazers. One of them , George Eyre M.P. was the model for Charles Lever's popular novel , Charles O'Malley the Irish Dragoon. Eyrecourt has remained largely unchanged for many years and not being on a main road is a peaceful rural backwater. Each year in June it hosts a splendid festival of early machinery, the Eyrecourt Vintage Festival, when ancient tractors, steam-engines and a variety of early farm machines have a chance to run again. (Big crowds so come early).