Borris, County Carlow

Borris (Irish: An Bhuiríos, formerly Buirgheas Ó nDróna) is a small town on the River Barrow, in County Carlow, Ireland. It lies on the R702 regional road.

Borris

An Bhuiríos
town
Borris Main Street
Borris
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°36′08″N 6°55′30″W
ContinentIreland
ProvinceLeinster
CountyCounty Carlow
Area
 • Total3.74 km2 (1.44 sq mi)
Elevation
53 m (174 ft)
Population
 (2016)[1]
652
Time zoneUTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid ReferenceS733503

Borris has views of the neighbouring countryside with Mount Leinster and the Blackstairs Mountains to the east, and the Barrow Valley to the west. It is the home to Borris House,[2] the ancestral home of the MacMurrough Kavanaghs.

Amenities

The town has one of the oldest golf courses in Ireland[3] as well as a 16-arch limestone viaduct (the 16 Bridges) built in 1860 and designed by William le Fanu.[4] It has a mixed national school and vocational school (colloquially known as "The Tech" or "BVS"), a Roman Catholic church, seven public houses, three take-aways, and three convenience stores (Cosgraves/Costcutters, O'Sheas/Centra and Borris Service Stn.).

The old school closed in 1980 and has been used by different community groups including Scouting Ireland, which has a branch of Scouts, Cubs and Beavers there. It also houses CRISP (Carlow Rural Information Services Project). Recently a branch of Carlow County Library has opened in the old school buildings. Between the Library and CRISP, there is a Tourism Information Point.

Borris House has catered for weddings and held poetry readings and concerts (Mary Coughlan, Mundy) and a "Christmas at the Castle" event in December 2011. It also played host to the National Country Fair in 2012. Borris House also holds a writing festival every summer.[5]

History

The MacMurrough Kavanagh dynasty, former Irish Kings of Leinster, have been based in the town for some time. The family still live at Borris House in the town centre. Built in Tudor style, the house is open to groups by prior arrangement.

Main Gate to Borris House on Borris Main Street

The town prospered in the late 1800s as Arthur MacMorrough Kavanagh, the landlord of the time, developed a sawmill and a lace-making industry. He also instigated the building of the 16-arch viaduct, situated at the lower end of the town, which was intended to carry the now defunct Great Southern and Western Railway line between Muine Bheag and Wexford. Borris railway station opened on 20 December 1858, closed for passenger traffic on 2 February 1931 and for goods traffic on 27 January 1947, finally closing altogether on 1 April 1963.[6]

Housing developments in the area include Lodge Court, Woodlawn Park, Oak Tree Court, and Station Road.

Borris Church
O'Sheas Shop and Bar on Main Street

Sports and clubs

Borris is home to Mount Leinster Rangers GAA Club, which was founded in 1988 with the amalgamation of 3 parish teams: Borris, Ballymurphy and Rathanna. In 2006 the club won its first senior hurling championship, beating St. Mullins in the final, and repeated the achievement again in 2007, beating the same opposition in the final. The club also won its first Leinster Intermediate Championship Title beating Celbridge in the final. Following a semi-final victory over Robert Emmets (London), the club reached their first All-Ireland final. The final was against Middleton Na Fianna from Armagh in Croke Park, with Rangers claiming their first ever All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Title in game that finished 1-13 to 1-11.

3rd Carlow Borris Scout group was founded in 1983 and has won the national camping competition (Smythe Cup) on 3 occasions.

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Sapmap Area - Settlements - Borris". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office Ireland. April 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  2. "Borris House". Morgan and Sara Kavanagh. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  3. "Borris Golf Club". Borris Golf Club. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  4. "Borris Viaduct, Borris, County Carlow". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  5. "Festival of Writing and Ideas". Borris House Festival of Writing and Ideas. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  6. "Borris station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 13 September 2007.
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