| Three Rock Mountain (Binn Trí Charraig) | |
|---|---|
| Sliabh Ruadh | |
Masts on Three Rock Mountain |
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| Elevation | 444 m (1,457 ft) [1] |
| Location | |
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Three Rock
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| Location | Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Ireland |
| Range | Dublin Mountains |
| Coordinates | [2] |
| Topo map | OSI Discovery #50 |
| OSI/OSNI grid | O176231 |
Three Rock Mountain (Irish: Binn Trí Charraig;[3] archaic: Sliabh Ruadh[4]) is a mountain in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County in Ireland. It is 444 metres (1,457 feet) high[1] and forms part of the group of hills in the Dublin Mountains which comprises Two Rock, Three Rock, Kilmashogue and Tibradden Mountains.[5] The mountain takes its name from the three groups of granite rocks at the summit.[6] It was once believed that these features were man-made: for instance, the antiquarian Gabriel Beranger wrote of them in 1780, “I take them to be altars upon which sacrifices were offered […] the regularity which is observed in piling them convinces me they are the work of man, as they could not grow in that position”.[7] In fact, the three outcrops are tors: natural geological features produced by the gradual process of weathering.[6] Today, the summit is dominated by the many radio masts and towers that use the site to broadcast their signals across the Dublin area below.[8] The forestry plantations on the slopes consist mainly of Sitka spruce, Japanese larch, Scots pine, Monterey pine and lodgepole pine.[1]
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The views from the summit are extensive and have attracted visitors for many years.[9] The writer Weston St. John Joyce described the vista thus: “The view from this commanding height, 1,479 feet over sea-level, extends over a vast tract of mountain, sea, and plain, comprising, to the north, the blue waters of Dublin Bay, with Clontarf and Howth, the Naul or Man-of-War hills, and the Mourne Mountains; eastward, Kingstown, Dalkey, and Killiney, and then in succession the fertile vale of Shanganagh, Carrickgollogan, the Scalp, Bray Head, the Sugar Loaves, and the slopes of Prince William's Seat. In clear weather Holyhead and the Welsh mountains may frequently be discerned, Snowdon and the Llanberis Pass being usually the most conspicuous, but occasionally the elongated outline of Cader Idris may be observed some distance to the right”.[10] By way of contrast, Gabriel Beranger said of Three Rock, “The extensive summit of this mountain, the parched ground and its solitude, make it the most awful spot I had ever seen”.[7]
Access to the mountain is possible via the Coillte-owned forest recreation areas of Ticknock and Kilmashogue.[1] The route via Kilmashogue follows the Wicklow Way hiking trail for part of the way.[11] Three Rock is also traversed by the Dublin Mountains Way hiking trail that runs between Shankill and Tallaght.[2]
Several local sports clubs take their name from the mountain such as the Three Rock Orienteering Club has mapped the area and run orienteering competitions there since 1981[12] as well as Three Rock Rovers Hockey Club[13] (field hockey) and Three Rock Rovers association football club.
On the top of central tor at the summit are four bowl-shaped depressions: these are bullauns which were used in early Christian times for grinding.[14] At one time, to the east of central tor was the remains of an abandoned public house.[14]
Close to the summit is the ruins of an old army shooting range which closed in the 1970s.[15] The targets were raised and lowered by 12 men using levers in a concrete dugout.[16] A red flag was raised along the forest road to alert visitors that firing exercises were in progress.[16]
The remains of several hill forts, ring forts and other enclosures are to be found on the slopes of the mountain though they have largely disappeared under the forestry plantations.[17][18]
During the nineteenth century, much of the lower slopes of Three Rock were covered with small quarries, especially around the village of Barnacullia, which supplied paving stones for Dublin Corporation for many years.[19] Close to Barnacullia was a cottage that was occupied for many years by the Countess Markievicz up until the 1916 Easter Rising.[20] The children of James Connolly stayed at the cottage during the week of the Rising.[20] During the Irish War of Independence (1919–21) the 6th Battalion of the Dublin Brigade established a camp at Barnacullia.[21]
Further down the slopes, near the Ticknock Road, is a holy well, known as Grumley's Well, reputed to cure eye ailments.[22]
The Irish broadcaster RTÉ operates a large transmitter close to its peak at 450 metres above ordnance datum. The 300 ft (90 m) mast carries analogue UHF television to Dublin city and county, as well as FM and DAB radio. Other masts carry the majority of Dublin's local radio stations and some of the bigger pirate stations.
Transmissions began from Three Rock in June 1978, with RTÉ 1 and RTÉ 2 transmitting on UHF. Prior to 1978, Dublin had to rely on the Kippure television transmitter (which did not cover some eastern and southern parts of the city satisfactorily), or on a low power transmitter (now defunct) located at the RTÉ television centre itself in Donnybrook, which served most of the districts not reached by Kippure.
The site is one of two RTÉ Network sites used for testing of new technology, including digital radio and digital television. The Three Rock site has previously carried the test RTÉ DAB Multiplex and (along with Clermont Carn) is currently carrying the tests for Digital terrestrial television in Ireland.
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 535.25 MHz | 29 | 25 | RTÉ One |
| 567.25 MHz | 33 | 25 | RTÉ Two |
| 583.25 MHz | 35 | 25 | TV3 |
| 743.25 MHz | 55 | 25 | TG4 |
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 738 MHz | 54 | N/A | Saorview (Mux 1) |
Three Rock is run as a SFN with Kippure, the two transmitters currently broadcast on UHF channel 54.
| Frequency | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 88.5 MHz | 12.5 | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| 90.7 MHz | 12.5 | RTÉ 2fm |
| 92.9 MHz | 12.5 | RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta |
| 94.9 MHz | 1.5 | 4fm[23] |
| 96.7 MHz | 5 | RTÉ lyric fm |
| 98.1 MHz | 5 | Dublin's 98 |
| 100.3 MHz | 12.5 | Nova 100 |
| 101.8 MHz | 0.5 | Today FM[24] |
| 102.2 MHz | 2 | Q102 |
| 103.2 MHz | 1 | Dublin City FM[25] |
| 103.8 MHz | 5 | Spin 1038 |
| 104.4 MHz | 5 | FM104 |
| 105.2 MHz | 2 | Phantom 105.2 |
| 106.0 MHz | 10 | Newstalk |
| 106.4 MHz | 0.5 | Raidió Na Life[26] |
| 106.8 MHz | 0.5 | Country Mix |
| Frequency | Block | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 227.360 MHz | 12C | 20 | DAB Ireland Mux 1 |
| Three Rock Mountain | |||||||||
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