Boreen

A boreen or bohereen (/bɔːˈriːn/ bor-EEN; Irish: bóithrín [ˈbˠoː(h)ɾʲiːnʲ, bˠoː(h)ˈɾʲiːnʲ], meaning 'a little road') is a country lane, or narrow, frequently unpaved, rural road in Ireland.

[1][2][3] "Boreen" also appears sometimes in names of minor urban roads such as Saint Mobhi Bóithrín (Irish: Bóithrín Mobhí), commonly known as Mobhi Boreen in Glasnevin, Dublin.

[4][5] 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] Boreens may be private rights of way that are not open for public use.

Bóthar was one of the five types of road identified in medieval Irish legal texts, the others being slige (on which two chariots could pass), rót (on which one chariot and two riders could pass), lámraite (a road connecting two major roads) and tógraite (a road leading to a forest or a river).

Unpaved boreen on the Beara Peninsula , County Cork .
Paved boreen in Baile Éamon , Spiddal , County Galway .