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Double Take

Double Take: The technicolour rock at the centre of the Waterford-Kilkenny rivalry

Mount Misery’s rockface is blue and white one day, black and amber the next.

Kieran Joyce and Austin Gleeson Austin Gleeson and Kieran Joyce during the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Semi-Final in 2017. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO

LIKE ALL NEIGHBOURING counties, Waterford and Kilkenny have a somewhat love-hate relationship.

Nowhere is this inter-county rivalry better exemplified than on a rock face situated above Plunkett Station. Known locally as Mount Misery, the rock face overlooks Waterford City, but technically resides in South Kilkenny.

Tweet by @Don't Eat for Winter 🚫🐿 Cian Foley Don't Eat for Winter 🚫🐿 Cian Foley / Twitter Don't Eat for Winter 🚫🐿 Cian Foley / Twitter / Twitter

For the last decade or so, locals from each county have sought to claim the rock as their own leading to a county colours battle of sorts.

Here’s the rock emblazoned with the blue and white colours of Waterford and John Mullane ahead of All Ireland Sunday last year.

And here it is painted black and amber before Kilkenny took on Galway (and beat them 1-22 to 1-18, you may recall) in 2015.

At times, the two sides have called a truce and painted the rock in Ireland’s colours.

But it never lasts long.

The Mount Misery rockface has also become a place for locals to voice their opinions on issues of the day.

Here it is painted in rainbow colours prior to the marriage equality referendum.

In 2016, the word ‘repeal’ was even painted on the rock.

This short timelapse shows how it was all done:

A rivalry that will no doubt continue until the bitter end…

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