Rock art, Carrowreagh or Craignacally, Co. Donegal
Co. Donegal |
Settlement Sites
On the eastern slopes of Craigawannia in County Donegal, amongst extensive rock outcrops and bogland, lies a fascinating example of prehistoric rock art.
The site features a large slab of rock decorated with two sets of concentric circles, or more precisely, cup-and-ring marks; a form of ancient carving found throughout Ireland and Britain. One design consists of four gapped rings whilst the other displays four complete rings with part of a fifth, both radiating outward from central cup marks with distinctive tails extending from their centres.
The rock art at Carrowreagh Or Craignacally has an interesting history of documentation and rediscovery. First recorded in the Donegal Survey by Lacy and colleagues in 1983, the site proved elusive to subsequent researchers. When archaeologist M.A.M. Van Hoek attempted to locate it in 1987, he found it impossible to find, suspecting it had become completely overgrown with vegetation. However, persistence paid off, and Van Hoek successfully relocated the stone the following year. He discovered it wasn't covered after all but severely weathered, making the carvings difficult to spot. The decorated slab projects northward from an old low wall, sloping gently to the southeast at about 15 degrees, and sits just metres west of a nearby standing stone.
Van Hoek's 1988 rediscovery revealed more than expected; alongside the two previously documented cup-and-ring devices, he identified three additional cup marks on the same stone. His survey work in the area proved particularly fruitful, as he went on to discover eight more decorated stones in the immediate vicinity, designated DON 10A through 10H. These findings underscore the archaeological richness of this corner of Donegal, where prehistoric communities left their mark on the landscape through these enigmatic circular symbols, whose meaning continues to intrigue archaeologists and visitors alike.