Overview
Kippure is the highest point in County Dublin at 757 m (2,484 ft), though the summit sits right on the Wicklow–South Dublin border and most of the walking is on the Wicklow side. You can pick it out from half the city by the 127 m mast on top: this is the oldest television transmission site in Ireland, first on air on 31 December 1961, and it still carries Saorview and RTÉ FM. Two corrie lakes, Lough Bray Upper and Lower, sit in the hollow to the north-east, and the boggy plateau feeds the headwaters of both the Liffey and the Dodder.
Be honest with yourself about the top before you go: the actual summit is a fenced compound around a mast, and it is an anticlimax. The reward is the walk in across open bog and, better still, the Lough Bray lakes. If you have a half-day and want one thing, do the loop past the lakes rather than grinding straight up the service road for the sake of the trig point.
The broadcast mast
The name Kippure is a transliteration of the local pronunciation, usually linked to the Irish ciop (stump) and iúr (yew). Its height is what drew the broadcasters. In the mid-1950s Radio Éireann surveyed the summit for a VHF FM transmitter; an access road went in at the end of the decade, and the mast followed. Regular television began on 31 December 1961 on the old 405-line system, moving to 625 lines in 1962 and FM stereo in 1969. Newer UHF sites have since taken over most of the national load, but the mast still carries Saorview digital TV and RTÉ FM, and on a clear day you can see it from across the Irish Sea in Wales. The compound is fenced and closed to the public.
Walking the mountain
The standard route is an out-and-back from the R115 near Sally Gap, following the paved service road to the summit: about 6.9 km there and back, 256 m of climb, and two to two-and-a-half hours at a steady pace. The footing on the road is easy; step off it and the peaty ground is notoriously boggy, so stick to the track unless you are ready for wet feet.
For the better outing, take in the two Lough Bray lakes on the north-east flank – a loop of about 6.8 km around dark, peat-stained water under heather slopes. You can join the lakes to the summit for a longer day. Fitter walkers link Kippure with Seefin and Seefingan in a circuit of roughly 21 km, crossing three tops and passing the Liffey’s source at Liffey Head Bog.
Whatever the route, the plateau is exposed and turns cold and windy fast. Bring a warm layer and proper boots, and carry a map or offline GPS: the open ground is not signposted. Keep an eye out for Sika deer, Irish hares and red grouse in the heather.
Kippure Adventure Centre
A short drive away at Manor Kilbride, near Blessington, the Kippure Adventure Centre is a purpose-built outdoor base on 240 acres. It runs high- and low-ropes courses, a climbing and abseiling tower, a zip-line, archery, orienteering, bushcraft and guided hill-walking, and it takes family days, school groups, parties and corporate bookings. There are meeting rooms and on-site accommodation for up to 150, plus occasional historical tours of local monastic sites and Great Famine landmarks. Booking details are on the Discover Ireland listing.
Nearby
Blessington sits on the lakes to the west, good for a boat trip or a bite before the hill. Avondale Forest Park, the Parnell estate, is a longer run south for woodland walks, and the Avonmore River threads the valley with quiet riverside paths.
Getting there
The easiest approach is by car along the Old Military Road (R115), the route built through these mountains between 1801 and 1809. Free parking is small and scattered: a lot near the gate on the R115, the Quarry car park near Lough Bray, and overflow at Kippure Estate. Charges can apply at some National Park car parks, so bring change.
Public transport is thin. The nearest regular bus service is to Blessington (check current Dublin Bus timetables), and from there you are looking at a taxi or a long uphill walk to reach the trailheads. Cyclists can use the service road but should expect steep pitches.