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BUR
to Nenagh, and comprises 237 houses. An extensive
distillery was formerly carried on here; there is a brew-
ery; and at Fantane, in the vicinity, is another, both
on a small scale. Fairs are held on June 9th, Aug. 6th,
and Nov. 27th, which is a large fair for pigs. Petty
sessions are held once a fortnight; and here is a chief
station of the constabulary police. The parish church
and a R. C. chapel are situated in the town. A school
for the children of Roman. Catholics is aided by a dona-
tion of £10 per annum from the parish priest; and there
is a dispensary.—See GLANKEEN.
BURROS-in-OSSORY, a market and post-town, in
the parish of AGHABOE, barony of UPPER OSSORY,
QUEEN’S county, and province of LEINSTER, 13 miles
(S. W. by W.) from Maryborough, and 53 miles (S. W. by
W.) from Dublin; containing 770 inhabitants. This
place was formerly of some importance: being bounded
on the north by the river Nore, and encompassed on
every other side by bogs, it formed the great pass to
Munster; and for its defence the Fitzpatricks, proprietors
of the district, at an early period built a castle, of which,
as appears by his will, Sir Barnaby Fitzpatrick, second
baron of Upper Ossory, was” in possession in 1582. In
1600, Queen Elizabeth granted this place, among other
possessions, to Florence Fitzpatrick and his son, which
grant was confirmed by Jas. I. in 1611. The castle was,
in 1641, besieged by Florence; and the garrison, con-
sisting of Protestants of Upper Ossory, though enduring
the greatest sufferings from want of provisions, refused
to surrender, and kept possession of it till they were
relieved by Sir C. Coote. In 1642, Bryan, the sixth
baron, accompanied the insurgents to besiege this cas-
tle, which was subsequently granted to the Duke of
Ormonde, and, with the townland of Burros, comprising
600 acres, is now part of the estate of the Duke of
Buckingham. The town is situated on the mail coach
road from Dublin to Limerick, and consists of one long
street containing about 130 houses. It has a market;
and fairs are held on Jan. 25th, March 21st, May 31st,
June 24th, Aug. 15th, Oct. 11th, Nov. 21st, and Dec.
20th. A constabulary police force is stationed in the
town; and the quarter sessions for the county are held
in April and October, and petty sessions irregularly.
Here is also a dispensary. Near the fown, on the estate
of the Earl of Mountrath, are some remains of the old
castle of Ballaghmore, built by the Fitzpatricks, which,
in 1647, was attacked by Capt. Hedges and the garrison
of Burros, to whom it surrendered, and was partly dis-
mantled; the captain, on his return, was intercepted,
and before he reached his quarters lost several of his
men. On Kyle hill, about two miles from the town, is
a rude stone chair, called by the peasantry the “Fairy
Chair,” which was probably in former times a seat of
judgment of the Brehons.—See AGHABOE.
BURRY, a parish, in the barony of UPPER KELLS,
county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 1¾ mile
(S.W.) from Kells; containing 1027 inhabitants. This
parish is situated on the road from Mullingar to Kells
and Drogheda, and comprises 3339 statute acres, as
applotted under the tithe act. The land, which is of
great fertility, is almost equally divided between tillage
and pasture, and the system of agriculture is in a highly
improved state. There is a considerable tract of bog,
which partly supplies the town of Kells with turf; and
there are some quarries of limestone and greenstone.
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Balrath, the seat of C. A. Nicholson, Esq., is a handsome
residence, pleasantly situated in an extensive and well-
wooded demesne, with a park well stocked with deer,
and in which are some remains of the old church, with
a burial-ground attached. The other seats are Spring-
ville, the residence of P. O’Reilly, Esq.; and Berford,
of J. Dyas, Esq. It is a rectory, in the diocese of
Meath, and is part of the union of Kells and corps of
the archdeaconry of Meath: the tithes amount to £150
The glebe comprises 2r. 19p., valued at £1. 10. per
annum. In the R. C. divisions, also, it forms part of
the union or district of Kells. There are two daily pay
schools, one at Drumbarrow and the other at Scurlogs-
town, in which are about 100 boys and 60 girls.
BURT, a parish, in the barony of ENNISHOWEN,
county of DONEGAL, and province of ULSTER, 6 miles
(N. W.) from Londonderry; containing 3765 inhabi-
tants. This parish, which anciently formed part of the
parish of Templemore, is situated on Lough. Swilly, and
comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 16,672½
statute acres. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the
diocese of Derry, and in the patronage of the Dean, to
whom the tithes are payable: the curate’s stipend is
£100 per annum late currency, of which £75 is paid
by the dean, and the remainder is advanced from the
augmentation funds of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
The church, a neat small edifice, was built about a cen-
tury since. There is no glebe-house. In the R. C.
divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of
Iskahan, Burt, and Inch, and contains a chapel. There
is also a place of worship for Presbyterians in connec-
tion with the Synod of Ulster, of the first class. A
parochial school, in which are about 40 boys and 4 girls,
is supported by the Dean of Derry; and there are three
pay schools, in which are about 80 boys and 30 girls,
and three Sunday schools. On the shore of Lough
Swilly are the ruins of the castle of Burt, or Birt,
erected by Sir Cahir O’Dogherty in the 15th century,
consisting of a single tower, situated on a command-
ing eminence.
BUSHMILLS, a market and post-town, in that part
of the parish of BILLY which is in the barony of CAREY,
county of ANTRIM, and province of ULSTER, 6¼ miles
(N. E. by N.) from Coleraine, and 125½ (N.) from Dublin;
containing 108 houses and 507 inhabitants. This place
is pleasantly situated near the mouth of the river Bush,
from which it derives its name: it is neatly built, and
is the general place of resort for parties visiting the
Giant’s Causeway, about two miles distant, for whose
accommodation a large and handsome hotel has been
erected by Sir F. W. Macnaghten, Bart., who, in 1827,
established a weekly market here. A distillery is car-
ried on, and is much celebrated for the quality of its
whiskey, of which about 12,000 gallons are annually
made and principally sent to England, Scotland, the
West Indies, and America. There is a manufactory
of spades, shovels, scythes, and sickles upon the river
Bush; extensive paper-mills have been erected by
F. D. Ward, Esq., for the supply of the home and
Scottish markets, and near them are mills for flour
and for dressing flax. The market is on Tuesday, and
is well supplied with grain, linen yarn, pork, and pro-
visions of all kinds; and fairs are held on Jan. 28th,
March 28th, June 28th, July 21st, Oct. 2lst, and Dec.
12th. Here is a constabulary police station; and the