Borrisokane - Culture

Culture

In his poem, The Faerie Queene, Edmund Spenser is said to have referred to the local hill of Knockshegowna. Knockshegowna (Irish: Cnoc Sí Úna) translated literally means 'The Hill of Fairy Una'. In Spenser's poem, Úna, the personification of the "True Church" travels with the Redcrosse Knight (who represents England), whom she has recruited to save her parents' castle from a dragon.

Knockshegowna Hill and its supposed fairies is also the subject of R.D. Williams' poem The Fairies of Knockshegowna and The Legend of Knockshegowna by Crofton Croker.

In 1930, the David Clarke Memorial Hall was opened in Borrisokane, dedicated to the memory of the town's then most prominent Landlord, David Clarke. The Hall is still used today for the staging of musical and theatrical productions and is also the location of the towns cineclub.

2009 saw the opening of Tess Burkes. It has since established itself as a popular live music venue attracting up and coming bands from all over the country.

The book Stella Days: The Life and Times of a Rural Irish Cinema was written by Michael Doorley. It is based on the true story of how Borrisokane's small cinema came to being in the 1950s. In 2011 Stella Days, the movie based on the book, was released. Filming, however, took place in the town of Fethard rather than Borrisokane. The movie was shown to an invited audience in the Clarke Memorial Hall on 24th March 2012.