Knockmealdown [Cnoc Mhaoldomhnaigh]

Knockmealdown / Cnoc Mhaoldomhnaigh

Knockmealdown rises to 792.4 m on the Tipperary–Waterford border. It is Waterford’s county highpoint and the highest summit in the Knockmealdown Mountains. A trig pillar marks the top, with very steep ground immediately to the north and northeast. In clear weather the outlook includes the Galtees, Slievenamon, the Comeraghs and the southern lowlands towards the coast.

Routes

These are open-mountain walks with steep and rough ground. The car park above Bay Lough, the Vee hairpin and the lower Glentanagree Bridge parking are different places; choose the start for the route you intend to follow.

Bay Lough car park via Sugarloaf, out and back

Start and finish at the R668 car park above Bay Lough, around S030100. Cross the road carefully and climb the steep, stony path beside the low wall to Sugarloaf Hill. Follow the ridge southeast down to the broad col, then continue beside the boundary wall up towards Knockmealdown’s trig pillar. Keep back from the very steep ground on the north and northeast sides of the summit. Return along the same ridge, reascend Sugarloaf and descend the original stony path to the road and car park. This route does not descend to Bay Lough itself. The ridge is exposed to wind and cloud, and the descent needs secure footing.

Glentanagree Bridge direct ascent and return

Start and finish at the roadside parking by Glentanagree Bridge near the R668/R669 junction, around S040078. Take the hillward rough approach at the road fork and climb the southwest slopes of Knockmealdown. Lower ground is heathery, wet and locally pathless; higher up it becomes steeper and rockier. Continue to the trig pillar at 792.4 m, staying back from the steep north and northeast edge. Retrace the same southwest approach to the road fork and bridge parking. Allow about 2 hours 30 minutes for this shorter return. Locate the descent carefully in cloud; the ridge towards Sugarloaf is a different route.

Knockmealdown–Sugarloaf horseshoe

From the roadside parking by Glentanagree Bridge at the R668/R669 junction, around S040078, ascend Knockmealdown’s heathery southwest slopes to the summit trig pillar. Descend northwest beside the boundary wall to the col, then climb to Sugarloaf Hill’s summit cairns. Turn towards the west/southwest side and descend the steep, stony path beside the wall to the R668 car park above Bay Lough. Complete the circuit by walking south along the R668 to the original bridge parking. The published horseshoe is about 10 km with 600 m of ascent; allow 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours. The road carries traffic and has bends: assess visibility and passing space before committing to this return. Use the direct out-and-back instead if road conditions are unsuitable. No Bay Lough shore detour or Knockmoylan extension is included.

Terrain and safety

The ridge paths are stony and can be loose underfoot. Heather, wet ground and indistinct tracks make the direct southwest approach more demanding than its short length might suggest. Carry a map and compass, know how to use them and leave enough daylight for the return. Discovery sheet 74 covers the summit. Take warm and waterproof clothing, food, water and a headtorch; be ready to turn back if cloud, wind or footing make the route unsafe.

Keep back from the summit’s steep northern edge. Do not improvise a descent towards the corries or lake. The road-return horseshoe needs a separate judgement about traffic and visibility. Respect landowner signs, leave gates as found and keep farm and emergency access clear. Sheep graze the hills; Mountaineering Ireland advises leaving dogs at home on livestock uplands.

Geology and neighbouring hills

Knockmealdown is formed from Devonian Old Red Sandstone. The local Knockmealdown Sandstone Formation is described as medium-grained pink-purple sandstone. Regional folding during the Variscan mountain-building episode created the east–west structure, with erosion leaving resistant sandstone ridges above lower valleys.

Sugarloaf Hill is a separate 662.7 m summit on the ridge route. Other nearby tops include Knockshane, also called Knockmoylan, at 767.1 m; Knocknagnauv at 655.1 m; and Knocknafallia at 666.5 m. Adding them changes the distance, climbing and return plan.

Getting there

The Sugarloaf ridge route starts at the R668 car park above Bay Lough, around S030100. The direct southwest route and horseshoe start by Glentanagree Bridge at the R668/R669 junction, around S040078. These are different starting points. Park fully off the carriageway, follow current signs and keep gates and access clear. If a parking area is full or restricted, use another authorised place rather than roadside overspill.

Bus Éireann route 245 serves Clogheen between Cork, Fermoy, Mitchelstown and Clonmel. It does not provide the mountain-pass trailhead connection described here; arrange onward and return transport to the chosen start. Check the day and direction at https://www.buseireann.ie/routes-and-timetables/245 before travelling.

Bring food and drinking water for the mountain. Clogheen, Lismore and Cappoquin are the nearby places to plan supplies and services. Keep the roadside parking and hill free of litter.

Name and history

Cnoc Mhaoldomhnaigh means “hill of Maoldomhnach”, a personal name meaning “devotee of the church”. The name is associated with the surnames Muldowney and Moloney.

Historical accounts record the burial of Henry Eeles, a writer on electricity and Lismore land agent, on Knockmealdown in October 1781. An 1841 map places the grave near the summit trig pillar, but stories that he was buried with animals or a gun are disputed. Grubb’s Monument near the Vee is a separate grave, that of Samuel Grubb, who died in 1921.