Two-Mile Borris

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 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, up from 502 in 2006. It is situated in the townland of Borris which is part of the civil parish of Twomileborris in the ancient barony of Eliogarty.

History
In the 1830s, the village was the property of Hugh Nugent O'Reilly.

History of the placename
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. The use of Leigh in the placename would seem to 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 and numerous Irish Kings and heroes.

Amenities and facilities
It has a primary school, Catholic church, two pubs and two shops. There are a number of housing estates. The village is located right 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 to 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. 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. The proposed development's planning application, which had been opposed by An Taisce and others, expired in 2018.

Notable people

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