simon3 on Slievenamon

One place to start is just north of Kilcash at B (S317 288). (To get to this, go north of Kilcash for about 500m, take a left turn and follow the road for about 400m). Here a rough signposted track leads off to the west, up the mountain. Most of the route up the mountain is on a substantial track, some of it to the west of a forestry plantation.
At the top of this track is a concrete bunkhouse with bits of decaying aerial near it. One possible place to aim for on the flattish summit is a trig pillar as shown below. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/95/comment/766/

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History and Folklore

Slievenamon may appear unremarkable, but by digging a little deeper it reveals some quite interesting things. It is a special mountain to the people of Tipperary, and the song ‘Sliabh na mban’ is their county anthem which is sung at sporting and other celebratory events. So protective are the locals of their hill that they were outraged at plans for a windfarm to be developed on its slopes. They successfully challenged this and Slievenamon remains windmill-free today.

The name ‘Slievenamon’ derives from Sliabh na mban, the Mountain of the Women, or Maidens. It is said that Fionn Mac Cumhaill chose his wife by picking the winner from a group of women who raced up the mountain. Grainne won, and it is said Fionn helped her to do so by showing her a shortcut to the top! Slievenamon was also home to a group of Faeries known as the Horned Witches. When these witches caused trouble to a local woman by invading her house she tricked them into leaving by shouting that their mountain, Slievenamon, was on fire. When they left she successfully kept them out for good.
Watch out for Horned Witches on the stony track that leads to the summit. The track makes route-finding simple, and Slievenamon attracts all levels of walkers. Contributors here say it is a 45 minute walk to the top along the track. I would suggest that it is a 45 minute walk for fairly fit, regular walkers. The track is steep in places, and several stops for water or breath may be required. I think it is perfectly ok to say it may take some walkers well over an hour to complete. I make this point as a couple I met on the hill felt bad that they had not reached the summit after an hour’s walking. I encouraged them to go at their own pace.

Slievenamon was the scene of some activity during the 1798 rebellion. In July 1798, a pitched battle occurred between the United Irishmen rebels and Government troops nearby. The rebels were defeated, and some say a betrayal resulted in their swift demise. Slievenamon also featured in later Irish History. In 1922 the British Army handed over 13 Whippet Rolls-Royce armoured cars to the fledgling Irish Free State Government. One of these vehicles was allocated to Michael Collins, who had just been appointed Commander-in-Chief of the rapidly expanding Free State army. Each of the Rolls-Royces was given a name, and the car allocated to Michael Collins was proudly named Slievenamon. Slievenamon was an escort vehicle with machine guns mounted on the day of the ambush of Michael Collins in Beal na Blath.

More recently on 26th December ’03, Slievenamon was the scene of tragedy when a businessman from Kilkenny, Tom Manning, died while descending the mountain. A large cairn on the upper reaches of the tourist track bears a plaque dedicated to his memory. There is also a well built ‘Memory Seat’ next to a large cross near the beginning of the access track. From the seat fine views can be had across to the Comeraghs. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/95/comment/5965/

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deswalk on Slievenamon

I climbed Slievenamon on 5 April 2007 Easter Week. The weather was extraordinary with high pressure and clear blue sky. I took the popular route signposted as 'Slievenamon Summit' from point SlMonSE (S317 288) just up from Kilcash.I first climbed this in 1980 and the last time before Thursday was about twenty years ago. The track has grown in width over the years and is now almost a road to the summit. However the view is still as magnificent. I was up at the top at 7pm and it was deserted. Superb. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/95/comment/2664/

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mneary34 on Slievenamon

I climbed Slievenamon from the same starting point as Simon at B (S317 288) just north of Kilcash. The start point is at the 240 metre contour so to the summit at 721 it is a 480 metre climb. The route up is easy to follow along a path all of the way and there are two crests on the route where the subsequent journey is revealed. As others have described there is a cairn, standing stone and trig point at the summit. Great views extend south and to the Comeraghs. This photo shows the route back down. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/95/comment/1997/

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bogtrotter_ie on Slievenamon

Slievenamon is a much under-rated climb/walk. It's generally viewed as a typical tourist up-the-track and down-the-track linear walk. In fact, a lovely and enjoyable circular route over all the sub-peaks surrounding the main one, circling back via a visit to the Killusty cross is about 10 miles and addords great views of the Suir valley. The route back passes beside one of the last remaining sections of Oak forrest in Ireland. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/95/comment/176/

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