Two-Mile Borris

For other uses, see Twomileborris (civil parish) and Twomileborris (electoral division).

"Borrisleigh" redirects here. Not to be confused with Borrisoleigh.

Two-Mile Borris (also written Twomileborris or Two Mile Borris; and locally Borris or TMB) is a village in County Tipperary, Ireland. The village is located on the L4202 road at the junction with the Ballyduff Road, close to the N75 and 4.7 mi (7.6 km) from Thurles town centre. It is also situated 1 mile from junction 5 of the M8 motorway. Its population was 572 as of the 2016 census,^[1] up from 502 in 2006.^[2] It is situated in the townland of Borris which is part of the civil parish of Twomileborris in the ancient barony of Eliogarty.^[3]

Two-Mile Borris Buiríos Léith (Irish)
Village
Entrance to the village
Two-Mile Borris Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°40′22″N 7°42′45″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	Tipperary
Elevation	120 m (390 ft)
Population  (2016)[1]	572
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference	S194580

History and etymology

Castle (tower house) in Two-Mile Borris

The name Borris is generally believed to have come from the Norman word for a borough, district or stronghold. The Irish name Buiríos Léith was historically anglicised as Borrisleigh or Borris Leigh.^[4] The use of Leigh in the placename may be related to the monastic settlement of Liathmore-Mochoemóg in Leigh, about a mile and a half to the north-east of the village. Those who prefer the Irish name of Buirgheas Dhá Mhíle say that the name refers to King Mile, ancestor of Niall of the Nine Hostages.^{[citation needed]}

In addition to the 7th century monastic site at Liathmore, evidence of ancient settlement in the immediate village area includes ringfort, ringwork, tower house and medieval ecclesiastical sites in the townlands of Blackcastle, Garraun and Borris.^[5][6] The Norman tower house (castle) at Two-Mile Borris is four storeys in height and now incorporated into a farmyard at the west side of the village.^[7]

As of the mid-19th century, the village was the property of Hugh Nugent O'Reilly.^[8] The local Catholic church, Saint James's church, was built c. 1830.^[9]

Amenities and facilities

Church, pub and shop in Two-Mile Borris

Two-Mile Borris has a primary school, Catholic church, two pubs and two shops. There are a number of housing estates. The village is located at the edge of the Golden Vale and the Bog of Allen and so the quality of the land varies around the area, with most of the best farming land located to the west of the village. Parts of the land to the east are too boggy to be used, even for extracting turf. The village proper is bounded on the west by the Black River, a tributary of River Drish, which goes on to join River Suir. The approach, on the western side of the village, is dominated by a Norman tower house.

In June 2011, a planning application was approved by An Bord Pleanála for a casino, hotel and racetrack, proposed to be known as the Tipperary Venue.^[10] In September 2011, then Minister for Justice Alan Shatter confirmed that the proposed casino was not compatible with Ireland's gambling legislation and "ruled out" based on a cabinet decision.^[11] The proposed development's planning application, which had been opposed by An Taisce and others,^[12] expired in 2018.

Notable people

• Martin Hayes (born 1959), Roman Catholic prelate and current Bishop of Kilmore, grew up in Borris

See also

• List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland
• List of civil parishes of Tipperary

References

1. "Sapmap Area - Settlements - Twomileborris". 2016 Census. Central Statistics Office. April 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
2. Irish census 2006 Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
3. "Twomileborris civil parish". logainm.ie. Placenames database of Ireland. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012.
4. Placenames Database of Ireland Archived 2012-09-05 at the Wayback Machine (see archival records)
5. Farrelly, Jean; O'Brien, Caimin, eds. (2002). The Archaeological Inventory of County Tipperary. Vol. 1 - North Tipperary. Dublin: Government Stationery Office.
6. "NMS mapping data - TN042-052----" – via heritagedata.maps.arcgis.com. TN042-052---- : Settlement deserted - medieval : Borris (Twomileborris Par.) [..] There are several medieval references to the borough at Two Mile Borris which in the thirteenth century was under the jurisdiction/control of the archbishop of Cashel [..] There are three sites in this complex, a tower house (TN042-052001), a church site and graveyard (TN042-052002) and a possible ringwork (TN042-052003)
7. "NMS mapping data - TN042-052001-" – via heritagedata.maps.arcgis.com. TN042-052001- : Castle - tower house : Borris (Twomileborris Par.) [..] Situated on the S side of the road at the W end of Twomileborris village, incorporated in a farmyard. A church and graveyard (TN042-052002-) lie close by to the SE and possible ringwork (TN042-052003-) lies to the E. A number of references mention the Black Castle of 'Burgesleagh' [..] and it is clear that Two Mile Borris [..] is the site of the castle
8. Lewis, Samuel, ed. (1837). "Borrisleigh / Two-Mile Burris". A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. S. Lewis and Company.
9. "Saint James's Catholic Church, Borris (Twomileborris Pr), Twomileborris, Tipperary North". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
10. "Two-Mile Borris casino given go ahead". RTÉ News. 13 June 2011. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
11. "Two-Mile Borris super casino ruled out". RTÉ News. 22 September 2011. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
12. "An Taisce against planned 'Tipperary Venue'". RTÉ News. 8 March 2011. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2020.

External links

• Website of TMB Community Development Company