Kippure

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Kippure
Elevation	757 m (2484 ft)
Location	Dublin & Wicklow, Ireland
OSI/OSNI grid reference	O112154
Listing	Marilyn, Hewitt

Kippure is a granite mountain in Ireland, that straddles the County Dublin and County Wicklow borders. It is also the site of a television and radio transmitter mast, and as such is the oldest television transmitter site in the Republic of Ireland.

Kippure was first identified as a transmitter site as part of a Radio Éireann survey into potential FM radio transmitter sites in the mid 1950s. The Irish government Board of Works built an access road to the site in 1959, and by the summer of 1961 the mast was erected and television trade test transmissions, consisting of slide views of Ireland, a testcard and the music of Count John McCormack were played out.

At first, Kippure broadcast using the British 405-line TV standard on channel 7.

Telefís Éireann started transmissions from Kippure on 31 December 1961, to be followed by a 625-line service on channel H in the summer of 1962.

FM Radio transmissions of RTÉ Radio (the former Radio Éireann) commenced in 1966, with stereo transmissions commencing in 1969.

405-line transmissions from Kippure ceased in 1978 with the arrival of RTÉ 2, however Kippure did not transmit RTÉ 2 until much later. Initially on Channel J with low power later moving to Channel H with RTE1 moving to Channel E.

Its importance in radio and television transmission has diminished since the late 1970s with the opening of new sites at Three Rock Mountain in County Dublin, Clermont Carn in County Louth, and Cairn Hill in County Longford which provide better reception in most areas previously served only by Kippure. Today Kippure transmits the four Irish television channels, the national radio stations, and some commercial radio stations.