Gortagarry [Ballinveny Hill]

About Gortagarry [Ballinveny Hill]

Rising above the pastures of North Tipperary, this rounded Marilyn offers a quiet, rewarding ascent. Its summit, known by the townland names Gortagarry and Ballinveny, provides an expansive perspective over the Nenagh river valley toward the rugged profiles of the Silvermine Mountains and the distinctive peak of Keeper Hill.

Key Statistics

Find It

Did You Know?

• •Gortagarry derives from the Irish Gort an Gharraí, meaning the 'field of the garden', while Ballinveny (Baile an Mheanaigh) refers to the 'middle townland' situated on its slopes.
• •The summit affords a clear view of the Devil’s Bit to the east, a hill famous for the geological notch that local legend says was bitten out by the devil and spat into the plain to form the Rock of Cashel.
• •Because it sits at the transition between the Silvermine Mountains and the Tipperary plains, the hill serves as an excellent vantage point for surveying the fertile 'Golden Vale' stretching away to the south.
• •The hill carries two distinct names because it straddles a townland boundary, a quirk of Irish geography that effectively ensures neither Gortagarry nor Ballinveny can claim the entire summit for themselves.