Two Rock
Encyclopedia
Two Rock is a mountain in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
, Ireland
. It is 536 metres (1,758.5 ft) high and is the 382nd highest mountain in Ireland. It is the highest point of the group of hills in the Dublin Mountains which comprises Two Rock, Three Rock, Kilmashogue
and Tibradden
Mountains. The mountain takes its name from the two granite
tors that lie to the south-east of the summit. From the summit, which is called Fairy Castle, there are views of much of the Dublin area from Tallaght
to Howth
to the north while Bray Head
, Killiney Hill
, the Great Sugar Loaf
and the Wicklow Mountains
are visible to the south. The summit area is mostly shallow bog
while fern
s and gorse
cover the lower slopes. The mountain is also an important habitat for red grouse
.
A number of prehistoric monuments can be found on the mountain including a passage tomb on the summit and a wedge tomb on the slopes near Ballyedmonduff.
trig pillar
. These both sit on top of a circular structure of granite
and quartz
blocks 25 metres (82 ft) across and 2 metres (6.6 ft) high and covered by turf and vegetation. This is the remains of a passage tomb, the easternmost of a series of such tombs that stretches across the Dublin and West Wicklow Mountains. The entrance to the tomb – once described by locals as a “cave” – can no longer be seen due to the collapse of the edges of the cairn. There is no evidence that the tomb has ever been opened but archaeologists believe that the interior contains a small burial chamber.
wedge tomb, known as the "Giant's Grave". It is considered one of the finest examples of a wedge tomb in Ireland: the antiquarian
John O'Donovan
said of it, "I doubt I have met so perfect a pagan grave in any other counties hitherto examined". Its appearance has changed since the time of its first discovery: sketches made in the 1830s by the Ordnance Survey show a grass-covered tumulus
. A drawing by George Du Noyer
indicates that the roof was partially intact at that time. In addition, the pine forest that now surrounds the site obscures the views of the Great Sugar Loaf
mountain and the twin tors of Two Rock that would have been possible from this location in the past. The tomb was first opened in 1832 by Alderman Blacker of St Andrew Street, Dublin but no record of this excavation survives. However, when John O'Donovan visited on behalf of the Ordnance Survey, the locals told him that ashes had been found when the grave was opened. After the tomb was opened, many of the larger stones were removed by local stonecutter
s. The site was excavated again in 1945 by Seán P. Ó Riordáin and Rúaidhri de Valera who found sherd
s of decorated Beaker
pottery, a polished hammer, a possible polishing stone and a flint scraper. A small amount of cremated human bone was also found. Following the excavation the monument was rebuilt in the form it appears in today. The tomb consists of a burial gallery over 6 metres (19.7 ft) long divided into three chambers surrounded by a horseshoe-shaped arrangement of stones with a straight façade at the western end. At the southern end is a long stone with seven cupmarks on one surface. This form of rock art
is usually associated with earlier Neolithic
culture and is generally found on natural rock outcrops. The stone may have come from a natural boulder brought to the site during construction.
between the villages of Glencullen
and Brockey. This was described in 1836 by the antiquarian Eugene O'Curry
as a long stone 10 feet (3 m) long by 7 feet (2.1 m) wide. A sketch was made by the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland
in 1855 before the monument was destroyed.
There is also a triangular-shaped standing stone
, 1 metres (3.3 ft) high approximately 400 metres (1,312.3 ft), north-northeast of Fairy Castle on the slope leading to Three Rock.
hiking trail that runs between Shankill
and Tallaght
while the Wicklow Way
hiking trail runs to the west of the summit.
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown is a county in Ireland. It is one of three smaller counties into which County Dublin was divided in 1994. Located to the south-east of Dublin city, its county seat is the town of Dún Laoghaire. It is one of the four constituent parts of the Dublin Region...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It is 536 metres (1,758.5 ft) high and is the 382nd highest mountain in Ireland. It is the highest point of the group of hills in the Dublin Mountains which comprises Two Rock, Three Rock, Kilmashogue
Kilmashogue
Kilmashogue is a mountain in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County in Ireland. It is high and forms part of the group of hills in the Dublin Mountains which comprises Two Rock, Three Rock, Kilmashogue and Tibradden Mountains. The forest plantation on its northern slope, which is composed mainly of Sitka...
and Tibradden
Tibradden Mountain
Tibradden Mountain is a mountain in County Dublin in Ireland. Other names for the mountain include "Garrycastle" and "Kilmainham Begg" . It is high and is the 561st highest mountain in Ireland...
Mountains. The mountain takes its name from the two granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
tors that lie to the south-east of the summit. From the summit, which is called Fairy Castle, there are views of much of the Dublin area from Tallaght
Tallaght
Tallaght is the largest town, and county town, of South Dublin County, Ireland. The village area, dating from at least the 17th century, held one of the earliest settlements known in the southern part of the island, and one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres.Up to the 1960s...
to Howth
Howth
Howth is an area in Fingal County near Dublin city in Ireland. Originally just a small fishing village, Howth with its surrounding rural district is now a busy suburb of Dublin, with a mix of dense residential development and wild hillside, all on the peninsula of Howth Head. The only...
to the north while Bray Head
Bray Head
Bray Head is a hill and headland located in northern County Wicklow, Ireland, between the towns of Bray and Greystones. It forms part of the Wicklow Mountains and is a popular spot with hillwalkers. At the top of the head is a concrete cross which was placed there in 1950 during the holy year...
, Killiney Hill
Killiney Hill
Killiney Hill is the southernmost of the two hills which form the southern boundary of Dublin Bay . Crowned by an obelisk, the hill is 153 metres high and offers beautiful views over the surrounding areas : Dublin to the northwest; the Irish Sea and the mountains of Wales to the east and...
, the Great Sugar Loaf
Great Sugar Loaf
Often simply known as the Sugar Loaf , this mountain is located in the east of County Wicklow, in Ireland, south of Bray and to the north of the Glen of the Downs Nature Reserve...
and the Wicklow Mountains
Wicklow Mountains
The Wicklow Mountains form the largest continuous upland area in Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into Counties Carlow, Wexford and Dublin. Where the mountains extend into County Dublin, they are known locally as the Dublin Mountains...
are visible to the south. The summit area is mostly shallow bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
while fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s and gorse
Gorse
Gorse, furze, furse or whin is a genus of about 20 plant species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia.Gorse is closely related to the brooms, and like them, has green...
cover the lower slopes. The mountain is also an important habitat for red grouse
Red grouse
The Red Grouse is a medium sized bird of the grouse family which is found in heather moorland in Great Britain and Ireland. It is usually classified as a subspecies of the Willow Grouse but is sometimes considered to be a separate species Lagopus scoticus...
.
A number of prehistoric monuments can be found on the mountain including a passage tomb on the summit and a wedge tomb on the slopes near Ballyedmonduff.
Fairy Castle
Fairy Castle, as the summit is known, is marked by a stone cairn and an Ordnance SurveyOrdnance Survey Ireland
Ordnance Survey Ireland is the national mapping agency of the Republic of Ireland and, together with the Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland , succeeded, after 1922, the Irish operations of the United Kingdom Ordnance Survey. It is part of the Public service of the Republic of Ireland...
trig pillar
Triangulation station
A triangulation station, also known as a triangulation pillar, trigonometrical station, trigonometrical point, trig station, trig beacon or trig point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity...
. These both sit on top of a circular structure of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
blocks 25 metres (82 ft) across and 2 metres (6.6 ft) high and covered by turf and vegetation. This is the remains of a passage tomb, the easternmost of a series of such tombs that stretches across the Dublin and West Wicklow Mountains. The entrance to the tomb – once described by locals as a “cave” – can no longer be seen due to the collapse of the edges of the cairn. There is no evidence that the tomb has ever been opened but archaeologists believe that the interior contains a small burial chamber.
Ballyedmonduff wedge tomb
In an area of forest to the southeast of the summit, near Ballyedmonduff, at grid reference O 185 213, there is a Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
wedge tomb, known as the "Giant's Grave". It is considered one of the finest examples of a wedge tomb in Ireland: the antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
John O'Donovan
John O'Donovan (scholar)
John O'Donovan , from Atateemore, in the parish of Kilcolumb, County Kilkenny, and educated at Hunt's Academy, Waterford, was an Irish language scholar from Ireland.-Life:...
said of it, "I doubt I have met so perfect a pagan grave in any other counties hitherto examined". Its appearance has changed since the time of its first discovery: sketches made in the 1830s by the Ordnance Survey show a grass-covered tumulus
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
. A drawing by George Du Noyer
George Victor Du Noyer
Sunday Miscellany, RTÉ Radio 1; 30 August 2009...
indicates that the roof was partially intact at that time. In addition, the pine forest that now surrounds the site obscures the views of the Great Sugar Loaf
Great Sugar Loaf
Often simply known as the Sugar Loaf , this mountain is located in the east of County Wicklow, in Ireland, south of Bray and to the north of the Glen of the Downs Nature Reserve...
mountain and the twin tors of Two Rock that would have been possible from this location in the past. The tomb was first opened in 1832 by Alderman Blacker of St Andrew Street, Dublin but no record of this excavation survives. However, when John O'Donovan visited on behalf of the Ordnance Survey, the locals told him that ashes had been found when the grave was opened. After the tomb was opened, many of the larger stones were removed by local stonecutter
Stonecutter
A Stonecutter is a person who carries on the trade of stonecutting or stonemasonry.Stonecutter or Stonecutters may also refer to:* Stonecutter, one of twelve magical Swords in the Books of the Swords series...
s. The site was excavated again in 1945 by Seán P. Ó Riordáin and Rúaidhri de Valera who found sherd
Sherd
In archaeology, a sherd is commonly a historic or prehistoric fragment of pottery, although the term is occasionally used to refer to fragments of stone and glass vessels as well....
s of decorated Beaker
Beaker culture
The Bell-Beaker culture , ca. 2400 – 1800 BC, is the term for a widely scattered cultural phenomenon of prehistoric western Europe starting in the late Neolithic or Chalcolithic running into the early Bronze Age...
pottery, a polished hammer, a possible polishing stone and a flint scraper. A small amount of cremated human bone was also found. Following the excavation the monument was rebuilt in the form it appears in today. The tomb consists of a burial gallery over 6 metres (19.7 ft) long divided into three chambers surrounded by a horseshoe-shaped arrangement of stones with a straight façade at the western end. At the southern end is a long stone with seven cupmarks on one surface. This form of rock art
Rock art
Rock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...
is usually associated with earlier Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
culture and is generally found on natural rock outcrops. The stone may have come from a natural boulder brought to the site during construction.
Other points of interest
There was once another megalithic tomb – known as The Greyhound's Bed – on the southern slopes of Two Rock near the R116 roadR116 road
The R116 road is a regional road in Ireland which runs east-west from the N11 at Loughlinstown to the R115 in Ballyboden. It runs through the South of County Dublin for its entire length...
between the villages of Glencullen
Glencullen
Glencullen , is a village in south County Dublin. It is also a townland in the civil parish of Kilternan, in the Barony and Poor Law Union of Rathdown in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County....
and Brockey. This was described in 1836 by the antiquarian Eugene O'Curry
Eugene O'Curry
-Life:He was born at Doonaha, near Carrigaholt, County Clare, the son of Eoghan Ó Comhraí, a farmer, and his wife Cáit. Eoghan had spent some time as a travelling pedlar and had developed an interest in Irish folklore and music. Unusually for someone of his background, he appears to have been...
as a long stone 10 feet (3 m) long by 7 feet (2.1 m) wide. A sketch was made by the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland
Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland
The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland is a learned society based in Ireland, whose aims are 'to preserve, examine and illustrate all ancient monuments and memorials of the arts, manners and customs of the past, as connected with the antiquities, language, literature and history of Ireland'. ...
in 1855 before the monument was destroyed.
There is also a triangular-shaped standing stone
Standing stone
Standing stones, orthostats, liths, or more commonly megaliths are solitary stones set vertically in the ground and come in many different varieties....
, 1 metres (3.3 ft) high approximately 400 metres (1,312.3 ft), north-northeast of Fairy Castle on the slope leading to Three Rock.
Access and recreation
Two Rock can be reached via the Coillte-owned forest recreation areas of Ticknock, Kilmashogue and Tibradden, which are managed by the Dublin Mountains Partnership. The mountain is traversed by the Dublin Mountains WayDublin Mountains Way
The Dublin Mountains Way is a waymarked long-distance trail in the Dublin Mountains, County Dublin, Ireland. The route is approximately long and runs from Shankill in the East to Tallaght in the West...
hiking trail that runs between Shankill
Shankill, Dublin
Shankill is a suburb in the South-East of Dublin located in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County, Ireland. It has a population of 13,242 .-History:-Name:...
and Tallaght
Tallaght
Tallaght is the largest town, and county town, of South Dublin County, Ireland. The village area, dating from at least the 17th century, held one of the earliest settlements known in the southern part of the island, and one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres.Up to the 1960s...
while the Wicklow Way
Wicklow Way
The Wicklow Way is a long-distance trail that crosses the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland. It runs from Marlay Park in the southern suburbs of Dublin through County Wicklow and ends in the village of Clonegal in County Carlow. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the Irish Sports...
hiking trail runs to the west of the summit.