From France to Slievenamon and then Dublin Castle — the story of Ireland's tricolour flag

Hike the mountains where Fionn MacCumhaill sat — and there's still a cairn that marks the entrance to the Celtic Underworld... apparently

Walkers approach the summit cairn on Slievenamon. Picture: John G O'Dwyer

In contrast to the bulkier and more angular Comeragh and Galtee mountains, this is an isolated eminence with graceful flowing shoulders that seem destined to gather legends. Overlooking the Tipperary countryside like a benevolent grandmother, Slievenamon remains the quintessential Tipperary mountain — a unifying backdrop for South Tipp folk as they go about their daily business.

Most hillwalkers follow a stony track from above Kilcash village that trundles over a low rise and then reaches the flattened top after a walk of about an hour. Immediately noticeable is a huge burial cairn, reputed to contain the sequestered entrance to the Celtic Underworld for Ireland’s fairy folk.