Following are some of
the hill's main features...
PINNACLE
According to Samuel Lewis, topographer, the cairn at the summit was reputed
to be the site of the ancient temple of Stuadhraicín. The 36-foot high cross
at the summit was constructed to commemorate the Holy year of 1950. The
lights on the cross were switched on by Fr. O’Keeffe on 15th of August 1952.
ORDINANCE SURVEY MARKER
A Trigonometric Station indicating that the pinnacle of Knockfierna rises
948 feet above sea level, making it the highest elevated point in Limerick.
GIANTS GRAVE
On the northern slopes of Knockfierna is a megalithic tomb or dolman,
locally called "Giant Fawha’s grave". Its capping stone is gone and its end
and side stones are, for the most part, inclined or fallen. They are fine
slabs of plutonic rock, some of them measuring 7 feet in length and 2 feet
in thickness.
POULNABREINE (Poll na Bruidhgne)
Tradition has it that the fairies used to come out of this hole every night
and dance around in a ring. Every morning a beaten path, circular in shape,
was noticed, marking the place where they had danced.
People used to say that if you throw a stone into the hole it would be
thrown back at you covered in blood. It was also said that the hole was a
disguise to an underground passage which leads to Mount Brown about five
miles in distance and again to Pound Lane in Ballingarry, about three miles
in distance.
MASS ROCK
On the eastern side of Knockfierna, there is a mass rock, where people
risked being killed by sneaking to attend mass during Penal Times. It is
said that sore eyes and warts were cured when the victims rubbed the
affected area with water that came from the crevices of the mass rock.
SITE OF HOUSE OF CAPTAIN MALLEY OF WHITEBOYS FAME
Secret societies became widespread during the Penal period, and a succession
of underground associations, Oak Boys, White Boys and Ribbon Men, gathering
in bogs and lonely glens, flouted the law and dispensed the people's justice
in a terrible form of revenge. The White Boys fought to redress injustices
that they could not get in court. The Government's harsh response tended to
solidify regional acceptance of the secret societies.
Captain Malley, reputed to be a lady of great influence, was said to be in
league with the local Whiteboy movement.
LISNAFEEN FORT
On the strickeen is a remarkable fort called Lissnafeen, made out of
sandstone, and is roughly 775 feet above sea level. The diameter of the fort
is 100 feet and the distance from the inner to the outer ramparts is about
44 feet. In the past, nearby inhabitants got water from a well which was
situated at the centre of the fort from which water flowed along drains of
hammered stone.
BIRTHPLACE AND ORIGINAL HOME OF THE COLLEEN BAWN
There are many different accounts regarding Ellen Hanley, otherwise known as
the "Colleen Bawn", suffice to say that today local tradition states that
she was born and raised in this small cottage in the townland of Commons,
Ballingarry.
OLD FARM HOUSES, OLD WALLS AND BOREENS
The foundations of 40 out of 200 primitive stone shacks have remained in
place on Knockfierna since it was almost deserted in 1847. The 8ft by 8ft
(approx.) buildings are spread over 200 acres of land. The houses,
comprising of dry stone walls, clay floors. stonebased fireplaces and peat
sods for the roofs, were sparsely furnished. A single bed of straw often
sufficed for the entire family. The hill was densely populated, with 130
occupied homes before the famine. The houses are being gradually restored.
According to local folklore, by the late 17th century, the contemporary
stone walls were being demolished to provide stone for the building of what
were to be famine dwellings.
There are many examples of pre-famine trackway, the most recognisable being
the "Red Road".
OLD LIME KILN
This is one of the several limekilns to be found in the area, built to
assist the agricultural improvements in the late 18th-early 19th centuries.
Kilns tended to be built close to the source of wood fuel rather than the
lime, as more weight of wood would be used.
THE FLORA AND FAUNA
Once the home of the rare yellow foxglove, the hill plays hosts to many
species of flora, including tormentil, sorrel, heathers, foxglove, St.
John’s Wort and woodbine.
LAZY BEDS
These were akin to modern potato drills but were hand dug with a loy around
famine period and are evidence of the common method of setting potatoes at
the time.
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