| War Hill | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 686 m (2,251 ft)[1] |
| Prominence | 71 m (233 ft)[1] |
| Listing | Hewitt,Arderin,Simm,Vandeleur-Lynam |
| Coordinates | 53°08′N6°15′W / 53.133°N 6.250°W /53.133; -6.250 |
| Naming | |
| Native name | Cnoc an Bhairr |
| English translation | Hill of the summit |
| Geography | |
  War Hill Location in Ireland | |
| Location | County Wicklow, Ireland |
| Parent range | Wicklow Mountains |
| OSI/OSNI grid | O1689511338 |
| Topo map | OSiDiscovery 56 |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Granite with microcline phenocrysts Bedrock[1] |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | viaDjouce Mountain |
War Hill (Irish:Cnoc an Bhairr, meaning 'Hill of the summit')[2] at 686 metres (2,251 ft), is the 106th–highest peak inIreland on theArderin scale,[3] and the 129th–highest peak on theVandeleur-Lynam scale.[4][5] War Hill is in the far northeastern section of theWicklow Mountains, inCounty Wicklow, Ireland. Due to its remote setting, it is usually only accessed as part of a larger hill-walking route taking in other neighbouring peaks such asDjouce orMaulin. One of the few distinguishing landmarks in the area is the Coffin Stone that lies in the saddle between War Hill and Djouce, whose origin is uncertain.
According to Irish academic Paul Tempan, the proposed Irish name for War Hill, whilst possible, is not backed up by any Irish attestations.[2] In particular, Bhairr (or Barr) is the Irish term for "top" and usually features as the first word in many Irish language names of mountains – E.g.Baurtregaum (from Irish: Barr Trí gCom; meaning "top of the three hollows").[2] However Wall Hill is not a "top", but is overshadowed by its taller neighbour,Djouce 725 metres (2,379 ft).
Tempan tentatively suggests that a possible alternative is that there never was an Irish language name and that the source name is the English name, War Hill. Tempan quotes a letter from 1838 by IrishantiquarianEugene O'Curry, recording that: "In the Townland of Lackandarragh, in the Powerscourt Parish they shew a place called the Churchyard, but it does not retain the least vestige of either a church or churchyard. Some say that it was the place of sepulture of persons killed in a battle fought between the English troops and the O’Tooles some three hundred years ago. This battle was fought on War Hill, immediately overhanging this Churchyard, on the opposite side of the river".[2]
War Hill sits on the northern shoulder of its taller neighbour Djouce. Wall Hill looks down into theGlensoulan Valley, through which theRiver Dargle flows eastwards intoPowerscourt Waterfall, the highest waterfall in Ireland;[6] northwards across the valley of the River Dargle liesTonduff andMaulin.[6]
Irish hill-walking author,J.B. Malone once described War Hill as lying in a "bog desert".[6][7]
Because of its remote setting, War Hill is usually only climbed as part of a "loop route" taking in other neighboring mountains.[8][9]
A popular route is a 15-kilometre circuit that starts at theBallinastoe Wood car-park to climb the boarded mountain path to White Hill and then to the base of the summit ofDjouce 725 metres (2,379 ft). However, instead of summiting Djouce, the boardwalk path is followed eastwards to the cliffs above thePowerscourt Waterfalls. Finally, the loop is closed by walking back up to War Hill via the southern side of the Glensoulan Valley and then onto the summit of Djouce itself. The route then follows back to Ballinastoe Wood via the boardwalk and White Hill.[8][9]
Another popular variation of this "loop route" is to start in theCrone Woods car-park, and complete a 16-kilometre loop ofMaulin 570 metres (1,870 ft),Tonduff 642 metres (2,106 ft), War Hill, and Djouce, and then returning to Crone Woods car-park; this circuit is sometimes called theCircuit of Glensoulan.[9][10]
In the saddle between War Hill and Djouce lies a cluster of boulders known as theCoffin Stone atO178104.[8] Records fromIrish Mountaineering Club note that according toJ.B. Malone, these stones were the only natural rock-feature recorded on the old "O.S. Sheet 16, half-inch-to-the-mile map" of Dublin and Wicklow mountains.[7] The large 5-metre collapsed boulder is speculated as being an ancientIrish megalithic portal tomb, or possibly, aglacial erratic.[8][11]
According to the late J.B. Malone, it bears the distinction of being the only natural rock feature marked and named on the old O.S. Sheet 16, half-inch-to-the-mile map of Dublin and Wicklow (back in the old days Sheet 16 was the preferred choice of the impecunious Dublin hill walker as it covered almost twice the territory of the one-inch Wicklow District map).
Route 60: Djouce and War Hill
Walk 1:White Hill, Djouce Mountain, War Hill
Just under 11 km SE, on the N side of Djouce Mountain (O 173 105) is "The Coffin Stone", a five-metre long capstone of a collapsed dolmen. This monument is worth visiting only in very good weather.
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