Did You Know?
Children also play a part in Irish folklore. The haunting story of The Children of Lir has its origins in Lough Derg in North Tipp. The story tells how King Lir’s children were turned into swans by their jealous stepmother, destined to live life on the lough for 300 years. Just one of the magical tales that have enchanted Irish children for centuries.
Borrisokane Town Park
Address: Borrisokane, Borrisokane, Co. Tipperary
Other features of the park includes a duck pond, which collects water off an arm of nearby Ballyfinboy River. The pond is home to several species of duck and is popular with bread-wielding children. The river itself has been painstakingly cleared of rubbish and overgrowth and is kept meticulously clean by the committee; look closely and you’ll see fish darting about in the water. The park is circumnavigated by a pathway laid by Kevin Ryan of local company Eden Landscapes. The path is lined with pieces of bog oak, and at various intervals the walker will come across displays of poetry donated to the park by local poet Vera Molloy (née Power).
Also lining the path are benches paid for by people from Borrisokane, in keeping with the community theme of a ‘people’s park.’ Indeed every tree planted in the park has been locally sponsored, with the benefactor’s name included on a plaque near the entrance.
Elsewhere the park contains the Ballycasey Stone Circle, a formation of rocks millions of years old, and a massive safe in which visitors are invited to deposit some change towards the park’s upkeep.