All four members of the Irish top order contributed significantly, but the keystone of the innings was Andrew Balbirnie, who batted for more than four and a half hours and by the close had reached an unbeaten 130 – his maiden first-class century. He went to the hundred off 176 deliveries, and has faced 238 in all, hitting 16 fours and a six.
He gave one clear chance, on 109, but apart from that has batted with impeccable concentration, keeping the scoreboard moving and punishing anything loose.
A great platform was created by openers Ed Joyce and William Porterfield, who put on 75 for the first wicket before Borren had Joyce brilliantly caught by Saqib Zulfiqar at square leg when he had made 43.
Then Porterfield and Balbirnie added 67 for the second, the Irish captain going on to a patient 149-ball 60. He survived a long period of containment by Quirijn Gunning and Borren either side of lunch, Borren bowling a sustained 15-over spell which included eight maidens and conceded just 31 runs, but when Shane Snater returned to the attack and forced him to play, he edged to second slip where Logan van Beek took a good low catch.
But that was to be the last Dutch success of the day, and Balbirnie and John Anderson batted through to the close, putting on exactly 150 in an unbroken third-wicket stand which ensured that Ireland dominated the day. Anderson had made 57 from 125 deliveries, with eight boundaries.
Perhaps going into the match a bowler short and with an attack heavily based on seam, the Netherlands did not help their cause by putting down several catches in the course of the day, at least two of which were straightforward.
But the three frontline seamers, Logan van Beek, Snater and Gunning, all performed with great persistence and all three deserved better figures, while Borren, bowling a longer spell for his side than he had since 2011, led from the front and kept the scoring within bounds when the Irish batsmen threatened to take complete control.
He finished the day with one for 57 from 24 overs, the most economical of the six bowlers he tried, although he was rivalled by Gunning, whose 23 overs cost just 64 runs.
The Dutch will need to take quick wickets on Wednesday morning in order to have any chance of fighting their way back into this match, while Ireland will be looking to continue their progress and set their opponents a really massive target.
It seems, though, that the weather may also influence the course of the second day, with showers predicted.