Tag: Mount Leinster


100 Days Of Awe: Day Thirty Eight – Tackling Tory Hill

Day 38: Tackling Tory Hill

imageIreland is not known for it’s towering mountains but rather its gentle, rolling, ice sculpted slopes of soft boggy earth, furze, fraghan or hort berries and somnulent sheep.  A slow drive across the border from Waterford into Co. Kilkenny and Tory Hill just 44 feet shy of mountain status.  I chickened out on an outing here in December to celebrate the winter solstice sunrise; the warmth of my bed overuled the lure of pagan festivities.  The proposal of a 10am start from my friend Marie, The Sea Gardener – an expert on foraging and nutrition of the sea shore, on a perfectly delightful late Spring day was a far more attractive invitation.  We slide from our slow drive into the rhythm of a gentle climb under the full warm breathe of the sun with canine companions Topsy and Lucy.  This unprepossessing hill revealed its magic at the Marian Cross summit.  To the east the vista stretched across wind turbines to Mount Leinster and Mount Brandon, to the south Tramore’s Catholic Church spire a smudge on the horizon.  A throne to the heavens on a beautiful day like this, the frauchan flowers just beginning to show, it is no surprise this place has a history that stretches back to the Greeks, is associated with druidic tradition and, I discovered on my post visit research has the remnants of the three chambered Faranogue Court Tomb.  In the 1700 and 1800s it was a refuge for Irish outlaws and in fact the name Tory is derived from the Gaelic Toraidh meaning one who is persued by the law.  More recently the hill was identified as an ideal site for a transmission mast but not everyone was in agreement.  A night time mission by torchlight succeeded in dissembling the mast and now only the concrete foundation remains as a reminder not to mess with this hill.

100 Days of Awe is a playful project I set up to bring my attention to awe in my daily life. I see awe as wonder, a mixture of amazement and respect.  I expect the experience of awe to be about perception shifting awareness and that demands a reframing of some sort.  I am excited to see what will awe me on this journey.

Anne K. Scott is an imagination technologist, her work to teach, facilitate and deliver innovation for individuals and business.  She is the creator of FindYourMojo a FREE iPHone productivity app. If you are interested in what intuitive coaching can do for you please do contact me.  I support clients all over the world.