boreen

{{Short description|Country lane or narrow rural road in Ireland}}

{{for|the Australian town|Boreen Point, Queensland}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}

{{Use Hiberno-English|date=December 2016}}

File:Cleanderry - geograph.org.uk - 267961.jpg, County Cork.]]

File:Boreen in Spiddal.jpg, County Galway.]]

A boreen or bohereen ({{IPAc-en|b|ɔː|ˈ|r|iː|n}} {{respell|bor|EEN}}; {{langx|ga|bóithrín}} {{IPA|ga|ˈbˠoː(h)ɾʲiːnʲ, bˠoː(h)ˈɾʲiːnʲ|}}, meaning 'a little road') is a country lane, or narrow, frequently unpaved, rural road in Ireland.[http://www.logainm.ie/en/48614?s=boreen Boreen.] Focail.ie, national database of Irish language terminology. Retrieved: 2016-04-10.[http://www.teanglann.ie/en/fgb/boreen Boreen.] Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla (Ó Dónaill, 1977). Retrieved: 2016-04-10.[http://www.oed.com boreen, n.] Oxford English Dictionary, Second edition, 1989; online version November 2010. Retrieved: 2011-01-04.

"Boreen" also appears sometimes in names of minor urban roads such as Saint Mobhi Bóithrín ({{langx|ga|Bóithrín Mobhí|link=no}}), commonly known as Mobhi Boreen in Glasnevin, Dublin.[http://www.logainm.ie/1380196.aspx Saint Mobhi Bóithrín] at Irish Placenames Database. Retrieved: 2011-01-04.[https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=53.377062,-6.265788&spn=0.005031,0.009055&z=19&om=1 Mobhi Boreen on Google Maps.] Retrieved: 2011-01-04. To be considered a boreen the road or path should not be wide enough for two cars to pass and have grass growing in the middle.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

Boreens may be private rights of way that are not open for public use.{{cite web | url=https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/owning-a-home/home-owners/right-of-way/ | title=Rights of way }}

In parts of Ulster, a boreen is often called a loanin, an Ulster Scots word.