Tory Hill [Sliabh gCruinn]

About Tory Hill [Sliabh gCruinn]

Rising abruptly from the South Kilkenny plains near Mullinavat, this isolated sandstone hump offers an effortless but rewarding climb. A prominent concrete cross marks the summit, where the land falls away to reveal expansive views over the Suir Valley, Waterford City, and the distant, rugged silhouettes of the Comeragh Mountains.

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Did You Know?

• •The Irish name Sliabh gCruinn translates as 'round hill', describing its symmetrical profile. The English name 'Tory' is thought to derive from the 17th century, when the hill provided a refuge for 'tories'—dispossessed Irish outlaws who used the height as a lookout to monitor movement in the valley below.
• •The summit is marked by a large concrete cross erected in 1950 to commemorate the Holy Year. It has since become a major local landmark, visible to travellers for many miles across the surrounding lowlands.
• •Because of its topographical isolation, the hill provides a clear view of the confluence of the 'Three Sisters'—the rivers Barrow, Nore, and Suir—as they meet and flow toward Waterford Harbour and the Celtic Sea.
• •The hill was traditionally a site for 'Fraughan Sunday' on the last weekend of July, a custom where local communities climbed the slopes to gather wild bilberries (fraughans) and celebrate the coming harvest.
• •For a summit that falls well short of 300 metres, it commands a level of local gravity usually reserved for much higher peaks, largely because it is the only thing standing between the M9 motorway and the horizon.