Borris-in-Ossory (, or the '

Burgage Burgage is a medieval land term used in Great Britain and Ireland, well established by the 13th century. A burgage was a town ("borough" or "burgh") rental property (to use modern terms), owned by a king or lord. The property ("burgage tenement ...

Osraige Osraige (Old Irish) or Osraighe (Classical Irish), Osraí (Modern Irish), anglicized as Ossory, was a medieval Irish kingdom comprising what is now County Kilkenny and western County Laois, corresponding to the Diocese of Ossory. The home o ...

') is a village in west County Laois,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Bypassed by the M7 motorway on 28 May 2010, the village is situated on the

R445 road The R445 road is a regional road in Ireland. The route is a non-motorway alternative route to the N7/ M7 motorway between Naas and Limerick, and at 170 km it is one of the longest regional roads in Ireland (longer than most national roads). ...

close to the

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after t ...

border between the towns of

Mountrath Mountrath () is a small town in County Laois, Ireland. The town lies on the R445 midway between Dublin and Limerick, exactly 96.5 km (60 mi) from both cities. The town was bypassed by the M7 motorway in 2010 leading to a significant ...

and

Roscrea Roscrea () is a market town in County Tipperary, Ireland, which in 2016 had a population of 5,446. Roscrea is one of the oldest towns in Ireland, having developed around the 7th century monastery of Saint Crónán of Roscrea, parts of which rem ...

Features

The village has facilities such as a school, churches, community hall, convenience retail outlets and a number of service businesses. The village centre comprises Main Street and includes retail, commercial, institutional, educational and residential functions. Landmark buildings include the Hiberno Romanesque Church of Ireland church of St. Mark, built c.1870, with round tower style bell tower, St. Canice's Church (

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

), the Ossory of Borris-in-Ossory, and former courthouse. The renovated O’Brien Hall is used as a meeting place for the village's Youth Club and other activities.

Transport

The village is located on the

with access to the M7 Limerick-Dublin motorway provided south of the village via junction 21. It is served by inter urban bus links to Dublin, Limerick,

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...

, Cork and Carlow and a town link service connects nearby towns and villages. Long-distance bus passengers are familiar with Borris-in-Ossory because it serves as a refreshment stop, typically 15 minutes at a time. Ballybrophy railway station is located approximately 5 km south of the village. The station is on the main Dublin-Cork railway line at its junction with the

Limerick–Ballybrophy railway line The Limerick–Ballybrophy line is a railway line connecting the city of Limerick with in County Laois. The line diverges from the Limerick to Limerick Junction railway line at Killonan Junction and continues in a north east direction with fi ...

. During 2009 a motorway junction was constructed at Borris-in-Ossory in preparation for the westward extension of the M7 motorway.

Education

Convent of Mercy National School currently has five classrooms and is currently preparing plans for a new eight classroom school extension. The school was built in 1965.

Religion

Churches in the area include St. Canice's (Roman Catholic) and St. Mark's (Church of Ireland), which are both on Borris-in-Ossory's main street.

Sport

The local

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include t ...

(GAA) club is

Borris-in-Ossory GAA Borris-in-Ossory GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in the small town of Borris-in-Ossory, County Laois, Ireland. The club colours are red and white and the club grounds are called O'Keefe Park. Formerly, primarily a hurling club, Bo ...

. The Gaelic playing fields are located 1.5 km to the east of the village. The amenities include a playing pitch, dressing and meeting rooms. In 2011, the village's GAA club team and the nearby Kilcotton team were amalgamated into one team.

People

Christy O'Brien Christopher "Christy" O'Brien (11 March 1933 – 7 March 2022) was an Irish hurler who played as a full-forward for the Laois senior team. Born in Borris-in-Ossory, County Laois, O'Brien first arrived on the inter-county scene at the age ...

(1933–2022), inter-county hurler * Brian Stanley (b.1961), politician * J.J. Sheridan (1951–2014), concert pianist, was born in Borris-in-Ossory.

References

External links

Official Borris in Ossory NS Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borris-In-Ossory Towns and villages in County Laois