What does the phrase ‘back the road’ mean?

Could someone explain to me the meaning of the phrase ‘back the road’ in the following sentence: “My father still lives back the road past the weir in the cottage I was reared in”?

Does it mean ‘next to the road’ or ‘near the road’ or ‘past the road’? Is it synonymous with the phrase ‘up the road’?

P.S. The sentence is taken from the book written by an Irish author.