Silsean

About Silsean

Situated on the western fringes of the Wicklow Mountains, this expansive, peat-covered summit offers a quieter alternative to the busier peaks further east. Its broad, grassy slopes require sturdy navigation in mist, but rewarding views stretch across the Pollaphuca Reservoir toward the rolling plains of Kildare and the neighbouring Moanbane.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is likely derived from the Irish 'soilseán', meaning a beacon or shining place, suggesting the hill may have historically been used for signaling fires or was noted for how it caught the light when viewed from the lowlands.
• •The summit is often visited as part of a high-level traverse from Moanbane to the southeast; the terrain between the two is characterized by typical Wicklow hagging and heavy peat that can be slow-going in wet weather.
• •Looking west from the plateau, hikers are treated to an excellent bird's-eye view of the flooded valley containing the Pollaphuca Reservoir, with the distant hills of the Slieve Bloom range occasionally visible on the horizon.
• •To the east, the view is dominated by the massive, rounded bulk of Mullaghcleevaun, which stands as the highest point in this section of the range.
• •The summit is so broad and lacking in distinctive features that, in a typical Wicklow 'mizzle', pinpointing the highest point can feel less like mountaineering and more like a soggy game of hide-and-seek.