Tigh an chnoic /Ticknock and the "Fairy Castle"

Tigh an chnoic /Ticknock and the "Fairy Castle"

The day before Halloween, myself and a pal headed up to the “Fairy castle” at Ticknock on top of Two Rock mountain on the outskirts of Dublin. The name Ticknock comes from the Irish Tigh an chnoic, or the house of the hill and is a fantastic amenity so close to the city.

There are definite trails for both the serious mountain bikers and hikers and the foot paths are accessible to all, although there is a definite incline all the way up to the viewing point which boasts magnificent views across Dublin Bay. At this point, you can veer, as we did, up a much more uneven path, like natural paving and which was probably the type of terrain that gave the older name to this mountain Sliabh Lecga, the mountain of the flagstones. Although safe in terms of there being no dangerous drops, it is advisable to wear sturdy footwear. As you ascend to the summit, the landscape opens up to a sort of rising plateau of heather and at the end of the path is the destination, the “Fairy Castle”.

Now, there is neither a castle nor one that belongs to the fairies. There are two monuments on this mountain top, one the megalithic cairn and the second one, a pillar which was constructed in the mid-19th century as an Ordinance Survey marker. The cairn, dating from approximately 5000 years, is not that large (only 3 metres high),  compared to Cairn T at Loughcrew, and much smaller than other unexcavated cairns like Queen Maedbh’s cairn on Knocknarea. The entrance has collapsed in so there is now no obvious entry point but what is in no doubt is how this site was specifically chosen as it not only is the panorama of sea and mountains breath-taking, but this cairn is also in clear line of sight to other monuments on Montpelier Hill, Tallaght and Saggart hill and Seahan mountain.

Down another “path” of rocks are the two granite Tors or outcrops that give their name to the mountain. I have to admit, I first thought that at least one of them was also a prehistoric site as there is a definite manmade quality about it but it actually comes from weathering, whereby the heathery vegetation has been cleared to leave exposed granite. The views from these outcrops towards Wicklow and the Sugarloaf Mountain are spectacular and we were so lucky to have the sun shining even if the wind would almost blow you away!

Getting back to Éalú, my camper, we had a nice cuppa before enjoying the vista of city lights in as we drove back down the mountain.

All in all, highly recommended place to visit and there’s even a coffee dock in the carpark though one thing that is lacking, as is in many a place such as this, and that is that there are no toilet facilities.  However, overall, it is a fantastic place, full of history, forest trails and amazing views!

 

Contact Details

Margaret McKenna
Carrick Eighter, Virginia, Co. Cavan, Ireland
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Art to me, is storytelling a means to visually capture the atmosphere and tell the tales behind our landscape or capture the essence of that person’s character.

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