Ned of the Hill's Cave near Cappawhite, Co. Tipperary.
Who was Ned of the Hill?
Ned or Eamonn O'Riain an Chnoic was an Irish Rapparee or
Highwayman from near Upperchurch in Co. Tipperary. In folklore he developed a
reputation as a kind of Irish Robin Hood, taking from the rich to give to the
poor.
It is said that he went to France to train to be a priest
but on a trip home to Ireland he got into some trouble and became an outlaw.
He fought during the Williamite War when many Rapparee's
fought on the side of King James's forces.
Local folklore records that he led Patrick Sarsfield and his
soldiers through the secret passes of the Slieve Felims on their way to blow up
the Williamite Siege train at Ballyneety in Co. Limerick in 1690.
https://thetipperaryantiquarian.blogspot.com/.../sarsfiel...
In the mountain area between Cappawhite and Hollyford is the
reputed gravesite of Ned of the Hill.
Another physical location associated with him is a hide-out
or cave that was mentioned in the Irish Schools Folklore Manuscripts as being
in the hills behind Cappawhite.
I have been looking for further information to try and
pinpoint its location for a number of years.
This year local hiking guide Jimmy
Barry (who provides guided tours in the area and particularly in the Glen
of Aherlow) contacted me following a post to say he thought he knew where it
was located.
Recently he was kind enough to take me to look for it. He
told that the story he heard was that a rope assisted walkway had been built a
number of years ago into a gulley to allow someone from Tipp Fm to broadcast a
piece about Ned of the Hill from near the "Cave"!
What he knew about it that it was more of a dug-out than an
actual cave and the blue rope and stake in one of the pictures was kind of a
viewing point.
The folklore in the Irish Folklore Commissions Main
Manuscripts says this about Ned's Cave
"The Cave Naturally defended by contour at the back 
of the Terret.
Entrance sufficient to admit man on horse.
Stream + small eas running by entrance. Used as a store
during the Tan War. Rifles discovered in it recently (local press).
The Sheriff of Co. Tipp (Capt Foster) is proposing vote of
thanks to me after one of my lectures on folklore, dispensed great interest in
these caves expressed the ardent wish of visiting them. When he did arrive in
Cappawhite he was not shown Ned's Cave as it is as useful now as it was in
1690-1715, ? ? ? ? ? we hide our cattle ? now when we learn the sheriff &
his men are coming. We brought him into the old lead mines & he was equally
"charmed & intrigued"."
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbe/9000963/7260471
My guide Jimmy Barry recalls reading a newspaper article
many years ago that there were some finds in this cave; a musket and sword and
that kind of thing. I haven't chased that up as of yet.
So is where we visited the location of a Cave / Dug-out that
has become filled in / overgrown? The schools folklore seems to suggest it was
more "Cave" like and bigger as it could fit someone in on a horse.
However we don't know how accurate this informant was. (Some of his other stuff
isn't that accurate). This is certainly the valley marked on the map in the
Irish Folklore Main Manuscript anyway so I feel we are very much on the right
track.
Either way I really want to thanks Jimmy for taking me to view the site.
Brilliant stuff, well done
ReplyDelete