Overview
Seefingan (Irish: Suí Fingain, “Fingan’s Seat”) tops out at 724 m, the 11th-highest summit in the Wicklow Mountains and the second-highest point in South Dublin after Kippure. Its summit straddles the county line, sitting where three ridges meet: Corrig to the north, Seefin to the south-west and Kippure to the east. The top itself is smooth grass – unusual for these peats – and gives a full 360-degree view, from the western peaks round to the sprawl of Dublin, with Poulaphouca Reservoir catching the light to the south.
Most people don’t climb Seefingan on its own. It pairs naturally with Seefin next door, whose passage tomb is the bigger draw, and the two are usually done together.
The summit cairn
A large megalithic cairn sits a few hundred metres west of the summit. In 1877 the antiquarian William Domville Handcock called it a “very large and perfect cairn” and thought it might hide a passage-tomb chamber like the excavated one on Seefin. It has never been dug, so that remains a guess, but the sheer heft of stone points to serious Neolithic effort.
Seefingan’s cairn is one of a run of hilltop tombs – Seefin, Seefingan and Seahan – strung along the Dublin–Wicklow skyline and clearly intervisible with one another. That intervisibility, rather than any proven alignment on the great tombs at Brú na Bóinne, is what the archaeology actually supports; the builders picked these summits so the monuments could see each other across the uplands. A modern concrete trig pillar on the top continues the long habit of using this peak to fix a point in the landscape.
Walking routes
Two things to know before you pick a line: the ground is genuinely boggy off the summit dome, and the paths are faint to non-existent. Download an offline map, and don’t rely on following a trodden trail in mist.
- Via Seefin from Athdown (about 8 km) – The usual first-timer’s route. Start at the Athdown forestry gate, climb the forest track onto the open ridge, take in the Seefin tomb, then cross a short boggy dip to Seefingan’s summit and return the same way. Around 2.5 hours.
- From the R115 near Kilbride (shorter, steeper) – A lay-by on the R115 at the south-western corner of the Kilbride rifle range gives a quicker, steeper line straight up the ridge to the cairn. Efficient, but steep and wet underfoot.
- The four-summit loop (11.1 km, hard) – Linking Seefin, Seefingan, Corrig and Seahan makes a roughly 11 km circuit rated hard, over very rough, boggy terrain with indistinct paths. A full half-day for walkers comfortable with navigation.
What to see and do
- The view – The main event. North to Dublin and Howth, east to Kippure, south over the Liffey valley and Poulaphouca, west to the higher Wicklow peaks.
- The cairn – A tangible link to Ireland’s Neolithic builders; unopened, but striking for its scale.
- Wildlife – Heather, bilberry and gorse on the open heath, red and sika deer near the Athdown tracks, and skylarks and meadow pipits on the ridges in summer.
Practical information
Access and parking
- Athdown trailhead – Free but limited parking by the forestry road; the gate is usually open, but watch for temporary-closure signs.
- Kilbride lay-by – A small free lay-by on the R115 by the rifle range. Spaces are few, and the area can close during live firing. Red flags mean the range is active – keep well clear of the fenced military ground and don’t cross onto it.
- No public transport serves either trailhead, so you’ll need a car.
Navigation and safety
- The hills are covered by OSi Discovery map 56.
- The ridges turn to deep bog after rain; late spring to early autumn gives the firmest going. In hard frost the peat sets firmer, but the cold bites.
- Carry waterproofs, a map or GPS and enough water – there are no facilities on the summit.
Conservation
Seefingan lies within Wicklow Mountains National Park, managed by the National Parks & Wildlife Service. There’s no admission charge, though some car parks elsewhere in the park levy a parking fee. Stick to established tracks to protect the fragile peatland and avoid disturbing ground-nesting birds. For an easier post-walk stop, Blessington and its lakes are a short drive south-west.