View source for Brandon Hill

{{short description|Mountain in County Kilkenny, Ireland}}
{{About|the mountain in County Kilkenny, Ireland|the hill and park in Bristol, England|Brandon Hill, Bristol|the American football player|Brandon Hill (American football)|the Modernist house in Cambridge|Salix, Conduit Head Road}}
{{distinguish|Mount Brandon}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Brandon Hill
 |native_name = {{Native name|ga|Cnoc Bhréanail|paren=omit}}
| photo = BrandonHill91.jpg
| photo_caption = Brandon Hill from the northwest
| elevation_m = 515
| elevation_ref =<ref name=mv/>
| prominence_m= 450
| prominence_ref = <ref name=mv>{{cite web | url = https://mountainviews.ie/summit/423/| title = Brandon Hill ( Cnoc Bhréanail) | publisher = [[MountainViews]] | access-date = 2 June 2019}}</ref>
| map = island of Ireland
| map_relief = yes 
| map_caption =Location in Ireland
| listing = [[List of Irish counties by highest point|County top (Kilkenny)]], [[Marilyn (hill)|Marilyn]], [[Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles#Arderins|Arderin]] 
| language = [[Irish language|Irish]]
| location = [[County Kilkenny]], Ireland
| range = 
| coordinates = {{Coord|52.509704|N|6.974251|W|type:mountain_scale:30000}}
| grid_ref_Ireland = S697402
| topo = [[Ordnance Survey Ireland|OSi]] ''Discovery'' 68
| easiest_route =
}}
'''Brandon Hill''' ({{irish place name|Cnoc Bhréanail|}}) is the highest mountain in [[County Kilkenny]], Ireland, with an [[Summit (topography)|elevation]] of {{convert|515|m|ft|abbr=on}} and [[Topographic prominence|prominence]] at {{convert|448|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=mv/>  The [[South Leinster Way]],  a [[long-distance trail]], meandering through the Barrow Valley and traverses Brandon Hill. The village of [[Graiguenamanagh]] and  [[River Barrow]] are at the base of the hill. It is classified as a county high point, an [[Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles#Arderins|Arderin]], a [[Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles#Deweys|Myrddyn Dewey]], and a '''[[Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles#Marilyns|Marilyn]]'''.

==Classification==

Brandon Hill has various [[Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles|classifications]] ({{slink||DoBIH codes}}).  Brandon Hill (Gribbon No. 071) is known as the '''county high point''' but are also sometimes referred to as '''county top''' and '''county peak'''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.highpointireland.com/county-high-points|title=Ireland's County High Points|publisher=High Point Ireland|author=Kieron Gribbon|date=2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.highpointireland.com/brandon-hill-515m.html|title=Brandon Hill (High Point No.071)|publisher=High Point Ireland|author=Kieron Gribbon|date=2015}}</ref><ref name=kg>{{cite book|title=Ireland's County High Points: A Walking Guide|date=3 October 2012|author=Kieron Gribbon|isbn=978-1848891401|publisher=The Collins Press}}</ref> It is listed as one of the 200 Myrddyn Deweys, which are the Irish equivalent of [[Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles#Deweys|Deweys]].  It is listed as one of the [[Lists of mountains in Ireland#List of 406 Irish Arderins|407 Arderins]], which  are the Irish equivalent of the [[Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles#Hewitts|Hewitt]].

Brandon Hill has a regional height rank of 151 of 454 Marilyns in Ireland (389 in the Republic of Ireland and 66 in Northern Ireland), and a regional  [[Topographic prominence|prominence]] of 53. With a [[Elevation|height]] rank of 1098 and [[Topographic prominence|prominence]] rank of 269 of the total for the British Isles of 2,011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hills-database.co.uk/downloads.html|title=Database of British and Irish Hills}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:BrandonHill116.jpg|thumb|left|Brandon Hill from the [[River Barrow]] in [[Graiguenamanagh]]]]
Brandon is 4-kilometres South-South West of [[Graiguenamanagh]], 7-kilometres east of [[Inistioge]] and 11-kilometres east of [[Thomastown, County Kilkenny|Thomastown]], in the south of County Kilkenny.<ref name="Gazetteer1822">({{Harvnb|Gazetteer|1822|p=591}})</ref> Brandon Hill is in the [[Barony (administrative division)|barony]] of [[Gowran]] and in the [[province]] of [[Leinster]].<ref name="Seward">({{Harvnb|Seward|1795|p=105}})</ref>  The village of [[Graiguenamanagh]] is at the base of the hill.

==Geology==

It is the termination of the chain of [[Granite|granitic]] mountains that raise from the shores of Dublin bay.<ref name="Wright1834">({{Harvnb|Wright|1834
|p=129}})</ref> The base of Brandon Hill on the side of the [[River Barrow]] and the hill running to [[Graiguenamanagh|Graigue]] is composed of [[schist]] rock.<ref name="Wakefield1812">({{Harvnb|Wakefield|1812|p=122}})</ref> This blackish siliceous schistus, sometimes containing grains of quartz and when it is broken it has a shivery texture and is hard enough to scratch glass.<ref name="Lewis1837">({{Harvnb|Lewis|1837|p=105}})</ref>
There are a few beds of marble and limestone gravel near the foot of the mountain.<ref name="encyclopaedia1830">({{Harvnb|encyclopaedia|1830|p=453}})</ref>

==Archaeology==

Evidence regarding the early settlement of the Brandon Hill uplands came to light as a result of ground and aerial surveys directed by Michael Gibbons, an archaeologist with the Board of Works, in 1989. The survey indicated that the slopes of Brandon were settled in excess of four thousand years ago and that the cairns, house sites, field systems and a large ritual enclosure identified on its slopes are part of the prehistoric remains there. Two Norman moated sites, with long rectangular buildings attached - probably granges or farms attached to Duiske Abbey and thought to be about 600 years old - were also identified on the lower slopes in the Ballyogan townland area during the survey.

==See also==
*[[Lists of mountains in Ireland]]
*[[List of Irish counties by highest point]]
*[[List of mountains of the British Isles by height]]
*[[List of Marilyns in the British Isles]]
{{clear}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

=== Further reading ===
*{{Citation
| last = Gazetteer
| title = The Edinburgh Gazetteer, or Geographical Dictionary: Containing the Various Countries, Kingdoms, States, Cities, Towns, Mountains, &c. Of the World.
| place =Edinburgh
| publisher = Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and brown, and Hurst, Robinson, and Co. London
| year = 1822
| volume = I.
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=obUBAAAAYAAJ
}}.
*{{Citation
| last = Wakefield
| first = Edward
| title = An account of Ireland, statistical and political
| place =London
| publisher = Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown
| date = 1812
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=250TAAAAYAAJ
| isbn = 978-1-116-11699-1}}
* {{Citation
| last      = Lewis
| first     = Samuel
| title     = A topographical dictionary of Ireland : comprising the several counties; cities; boroughs; corporate, market and post towns; parishes; and villages, with historical and statistical descriptions embellished with engravings of the arms of the cities, bishopricks, corporate towns, and boroughs; and of the seals of the several municipal corporations
| place     =London
| publisher =Nabu Press
| date  = 1837
| url       = https://books.google.com/books?id=wqzRAAAAMAAJ
| isbn      = 978-1-247-35489-7
}}.
*{{Citation
| last = encyclopaedia
| first = Edinburgh
| title =The Edinburgh encyclopaedia, conducted by D. Brewster
| place =Edinburgh
| year = 1830
| volume = VII.
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8HvmwadVu4AC
}}.
*{{Citation
| last = Wright
| first = George Newenham
| author-link = George Newenham Wright
| title = A new and comprehensive gazetteer
| place =Edinburgh
| year = 1834
| volume = II.
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CCMDAAAAYAAJ
}}.
*{{Citation
| last = Seward
| first = William Wenman
| title = Topographia Hibernica: Or the Topography of Ireland                      
| place =Dublin
| year = 1795
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7IAuAAAAMAAJ
| isbn =1-4373-5407-6}}

{{Mountains of Great Britain and Ireland|}}
{{Mountains and hills of Leinster}}

[[Category:Mountains and hills of County Kilkenny]]
[[Category:Highest points of Irish counties]]
[[Category:Marilyns of Ireland]]