Borris, Carlow
Encyclopedia
Borris is a village on the River Barrow
, in County Carlow
, Ireland
. It lies on the R702
regional road
.
Borris commands panoramic 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 the ancestral home of the MacMurrough Kavanaghs.
The town also has one of the oldest golf courses in Ireland as well as the Borris Viaduct , a 16 arch limestone viaduct built in 1860 and designed by William le Fanu. It has a national school and vocational school (colloquially known as "The Tec or BVS"), a Roman Catholic Church, several public houses and take-aways, and three supermarkets.
ic Kings of Leinster
, are central to this picturesque town of old stone
buildings. The family still live at Borris House in the town centre. Built in Tudor
style, the house is open to groups by prior arrangement.
The town prospered in the late 1800s as Arthur MacMorrough Kavanagh
, the landlord of the time, developed a sawmill and a thriving lace-making industry. He also instigated the building of the graceful 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 Bagenalstown 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.
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.
3rd Carlow Borris Scout group was founded in 1983 and has won the national camping competition (Smythe Cup) on 3 occasions.
Group leaders of 3rd Carlow Borris
Phil O'Leary
Sean McCarthy
Michael Hayden
Patsy Stapleton
David Clerkin
John Dalton
Famous patrols
Falcon Patrol 4 Sherwood Cup wins,
Terminator Patrol 3 Sherwood Cup wins, 2nd and 1st in Smythe Cup,
Dolphin Patrol 3 Sherwood Cup wins, 2 Smythe Cups
Borris Chief Scouts Awards
Edward O'Leary,
Gary Clerkin,
Tina Clerkin,
David Clerkin,
Siobhan Doherty,
Annemarie Bolger,
Ciara Geoghegan,
Aoife Hayden,
JoAnne Hickey,
Patrick Agars,
Sinead Nolan
Aine Bambrick,
Deirdre Geoghegan,
John Dalton,
Gary Ryan,
Edward Stapleton,
Mary Spruhan,
Brian Sheehan,
Mark Doyle,
Una Connors,
Philip Kelly,
Padraig Bambrick,
Padraig Nolan,
Caroline Stapleton,
Madelaine Holmes,
Eadaoin Dalton,
Grainne Nolan,
Jennifer Skelton,
Rita Doyle,
Mary Ellen Doyle,
Emer Kiernan.
River Barrow
The Barrow is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest and most prominent of the three rivers...
, in County Carlow
County Carlow
County Carlow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Carlow, which lies on the River Barrow. Carlow County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It lies on the R702
R702 road
The R702 road is a regional road in Ireland which runs west-east from the N10 at Coolgrange in County Kilkenny through Gowran before crossing into County Carlow at Goresbridge....
regional road
Regional road
A regional road in Ireland is a class of road not forming a major route , but nevertheless forming a link in the national route network. There are over 11,600 kilometres of regional roads. Regional roads are numbered with three digit route numbers, prefixed by "R" A regional road in Ireland is a...
.
Borris commands panoramic views of the neighbouring countryside with Mount Leinster
Mount Leinster
At 796 metres Mount Leinster is the fifth highest mountain after Lugnaquilla 925m, Mullaghcleevaun 849m, Tonelegee 817m, and Cloghernagh 800m, in the province of Leinster, Ireland. It is the highest of the Blackstairs Mountains at 796 metres...
and the Blackstairs Mountains
Blackstairs Mountains
The Blackstairs Mountains run roughly north/south along the border between County Carlow and County Wexford in Ireland.-See also:*List of mountains in Ireland...
to the east, and the Barrow Valley to the west. It is the home to Borris House the ancestral home of the MacMurrough Kavanaghs.
The town also has one of the oldest golf courses in Ireland as well as the Borris Viaduct , a 16 arch limestone viaduct built in 1860 and designed by William le Fanu. It has a national school and vocational school (colloquially known as "The Tec or BVS"), a Roman Catholic Church, several public houses and take-aways, and three supermarkets.
History
The MacMurrough Kavanagh dynasty, former CeltCelt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic Kings of Leinster
Kings of Leinster
The following is a provisional list of the kings of Leinster who ruled the Irish kingdom of Leinster up to 1632 with the death of Domhnall Spainnach MacMurrough-Kavanagh, the last legitimately inaugurated head of the MacMurrough Kavanagh royal line...
, are central to this picturesque town of old stone
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
buildings. The family still live at Borris House in the town centre. Built in Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
style, the house is open to groups by prior arrangement.
Arthur MacMorrough Kavanagh
Arthur MacMorrough Kavanagh , Irish politician, son of Thomas Kavanagh, M.P., who traced his descent to the ancient Kings of Leinster , was born at Borris House, County Carlow, Ireland....
, the landlord of the time, developed a sawmill and a thriving lace-making industry. He also instigated the building of the graceful 16-arch viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
, situated at the lower end of the town, which was intended to carry the now defunct Great Southern and Western Railway
Great Southern and Western Railway
The Great Southern and Western Railway was the largest Irish gauge railway company in Ireland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
line between Bagenalstown and Wexford
Wexford
Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
. 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.
Famous people
- Olivia O'LearyOlivia O'LearyOlivia O'Leary is an Irish journalist, writer and current affairs presenter.Educated at St Leo's College, Carlow and at University College Dublin, she worked with the Nationalist and Leinster Times in Carlow...
, journalist, writer and current affairs presenter; her niece Yasmin also lives in this area.
Sport & Clubs
Borris is home to Mount Leinster Rangers GAA Club which was founded in 1988 with the amalgamation of 3 parish teams, Borris, BallymurphyBallymurphy, County Carlow
Ballymurphy, historically Ballymurchoe , is a village in County Carlow, Ireland on the R702 regional road. It lies on the western flank of the Blackstairs Mountains.-See also:* List of towns and villages in Ireland...
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.
3rd Carlow Borris Scout group was founded in 1983 and has won the national camping competition (Smythe Cup) on 3 occasions.
Group leaders of 3rd Carlow Borris
Phil O'Leary
Sean McCarthy
Michael Hayden
Patsy Stapleton
David Clerkin
John Dalton
Famous patrols
Falcon Patrol 4 Sherwood Cup wins,
Terminator Patrol 3 Sherwood Cup wins, 2nd and 1st in Smythe Cup,
Dolphin Patrol 3 Sherwood Cup wins, 2 Smythe Cups
Borris Chief Scouts Awards
Edward O'Leary,
Gary Clerkin,
Tina Clerkin,
David Clerkin,
Siobhan Doherty,
Annemarie Bolger,
Ciara Geoghegan,
Aoife Hayden,
JoAnne Hickey,
Patrick Agars,
Sinead Nolan
Aine Bambrick,
Deirdre Geoghegan,
John Dalton,
Gary Ryan,
Edward Stapleton,
Mary Spruhan,
Brian Sheehan,
Mark Doyle,
Una Connors,
Philip Kelly,
Padraig Bambrick,
Padraig Nolan,
Caroline Stapleton,
Madelaine Holmes,
Eadaoin Dalton,
Grainne Nolan,
Jennifer Skelton,
Rita Doyle,
Mary Ellen Doyle,
Emer Kiernan.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland