Kilkenny is a county not particularly known for mountains with some plateaued uplands around Castlecomber and hilly relief towards the West, in and around Tullaroan. To find the highest point we need to head towards the South East of the county, where near Graigenamanagh stands Brandon Hill at an elevation of 515 m (1690 ft).
It is considered part of the Blackstairs Range but it is a bit of an outlier as it is separated from them by the River Barrow. What it does have in common is that it is made of the same stuff as the Blackstairs – granite. The Hill is the most Southerly outcrop of Leister Granite which stretches all the way down from the shores of Dublin Bay through Wicklow and Carlow and forming part of the highlands that are found along the way.
The path to the top is not that obvious but follow the few way points below. The first is the turn off from the road leading to the second way point where there is parking for a few cars near a yellow barrier. The road gets a bit bumpy towards the second way point and also passes very close to a house. The occupant is well used of visitors and walkers as I had a good chat with him about the hill. This track is also part of a looped Trail Kilkenny route. Two - three hours should see you there and back. The view from the top is pretty good as the hill is isolated and makes for a good, more or less 360 degree panorama. There is some clutter in an around the summit including some sort of crucifix thing which looks like it belongs on the stage of a Black Sabbath concert. The cache is under a few rocks and co-ords should be good as the sky view is excellent. Enjoy