Rock art, Carrowreagh or Craignacally, Co. Donegal

This long, smooth outcrop was first identified by researcher M.A.M. Van Hoek in 1987, revealing a fascinating array of carved features that speak to the artistic traditions of Ireland's distant past. The rock surface itself changes orientation as it stretches from west to east; beginning with a gentle 9-degree slope towards the east-southeast at its western end, before shifting to a steeper 16-degree northeastern incline at its eastern extremity.

What makes this particular outcrop truly special is the row of twelve cupmarks that runs along its length, though these are far from ordinary examples of prehistoric carving. While three display the typical pocked appearance common to cupmarks across Ireland and Britain, eight others are quite unusual, consisting of exceptionally shallow and large disc-shaped depressions. These disc-cups, similar to examples found at other Donegal sites known as DON 13 and DON 28, have been worn almost smooth by millennia of weathering, with the westernmost one possibly featuring traces of a partial ring surrounding it.

At the eastern end of the outcrop, Van Hoek documented another intriguing feature that sets this site apart: a carved ring that encircles a small cupmark sitting atop a low raised boss of rock. This combination of different carving styles and techniques, from traditional cupmarks to the more unusual disc-cups and the ring-and-cup motif, suggests this outcrop may have held particular significance for the prehistoric communities who created these enduring marks in stone. Located just a few metres north-northwest of another rock art site known as DON 6, this outcrop forms part of a wider landscape of prehistoric art that continues to intrigue archaeologists and visitors alike.