Kippure

Kippure
Cipiúr
Kippure, southern slope
Highest point
Elevation	757 m (2,484 ft)
Listing	Marilyn, Hewitt
Naming
Language of name	Irish
Geography
Location	South Dublin & Wicklow, Ireland
Parent range	Wicklow Mountains
OSI/OSNI grid	O112154
Topo map	OSi Discovery 56
Geology
Mountain type	granite

Kippure (Template:Lang-ga) is a granite mountain that straddles the county boundaries of South Dublin and Wicklow. It is popular for hill walking and outdoor leisure activity owing to its proximity to Dublin city, with its fine views over Dublin Bay towards Howth Head. It has convenient access and easy terrain. At 757 metres (2,484 feet), it is the highest mountain in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and the 73rd highest in Ireland.

Access

Kippure is easily reached by the Military Road which passes close to the summit, with a spur from the road to an RTÉ transmitter mast at the top.

Watercourses

The slopes of Kippure hold the sources of multiple watercourses, including the River Liffey, which rises in the Liffey Head Bog on the western slopes.

Radio and television transmissions

The summit of Kippure is the site of a television and radio transmitter mast, and is the oldest television transmitter site in the Republic of Ireland. It was first identified as a transmitter site as part of a Radio Éireann survey into potential FM radio transmitter sites in the mid 1950s. The Irish government Board of Works built an access road to the site in 1959, and by the summer of 1961 the mast was erected. Television trade test transmissions followed, consisting of slide views of Ireland, a testcard, and the music of Count John McCormack.

At first, Kippure transmitted using the British 405-line TV standard on channel 7.

Telefís Éireann started transmissions from Kippure on 31 December 1961, to be followed by a 625-line service on channel H in the summer of 1962.

FM Radio transmissions of RTÉ Radio (the former Radio Éireann) commenced in 1966, with stereo transmissions commencing in 1969.

405-line transmissions from Kippure ceased in 1978 with the arrival of RTÉ 2, however Kippure did not transmit RTÉ 2 until much later. Initially on Channel J with low power later moving to Channel H with RTÉ 1 moving to Channel E.

Its importance in radio and television transmission has diminished since the late 1970s with the opening of new transmitter sites at Three Rock Mountain in County Dublin, Clermont Carn in County Louth, and Cairn Hill in County Longford, which provide better reception in most areas previously served only by Kippure. Today Kippure transmits the four Irish television channels, the national radio stations, and some commercial radio stations.

Signals transmitted from Kippure

Television

• RTÉ One, VHF channel E 160 kW
• RTÉ Two, VHF channel H 160 kW
• TV3, UHF channel 62 500 kW
• TG4, UHF channel 59 500 kW

Radio

• RTÉ Radio 1, FM radio 89.1 MHz 40 kW
• RTÉ 2fm, FM radio 91.3 MHz 40 kW
• RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, FM radio 93.5 MHz 40 kW
• RTÉ lyric fm, FM radio 98.7 MHz 40 kW
• Today FM, FM radio 100.9 MHz 40 kW

See also

• List of mountains in Ireland

External links

• Reference on Irish TV website