Rock art, Derrynacoulagh, Co. Kerry

Co. Kerry |

Settlement Sites

Rock art, Derrynacoulagh, Co. Kerry

A large sandstone boulder sitting at the end of a farm trackway in the Sheen River valley carries some of the most densely worked prehistoric rock art in south-west Kerry, and it is no longer where it began.

The decorated surface, roughly 1.2 metres square, faces slightly downwards at an angle, and two boulders to its north-west may be pressing against the stone and concealing further motifs beneath. What is visible is already considerable: fourteen cup-and-ring motifs, the kind of concentric circular carvings that appear across Atlantic Europe in the Neolithic and Bronze Age, alongside twenty-one simpler cupmarks, shallow circular depressions pecked into the rock surface. Lines of pickmarks run across the central area and connect individual motifs to one another. A small square depression sits in one corner, and two intersecting lines of pickmarks form something close to a cross shape, though not a standard cruciform. None of this is typical. The combination of motifs, their density, and the connecting lines give the surface an unusually complex character.

The boulder was moved during land reclamation works in the 1990s, which makes it what archaeologists describe as ex-situ, meaning it is no longer in its original location. Before it was shifted, it would have stood somewhere on the south-east-facing slope above the Feabunaun stream valley, with the Esk and Barraboy mountains visible to the south and Knockeirka hill behind it to the north. That original setting is now lost, along with whatever relationship it may once have had to the surrounding landscape. The stone itself is a smooth and fractured sandstone, measuring 1.80 metres north to south and 1.20 metres east to west, with a maximum thickness of 1.25 metres. Its decorated face, now tilted slightly toward the ground, was catalogued in detail by Byrne et al. in 2009, and the displacement of the boulder during reclamation is recorded in that same study.

The site sits at around 104 metres above sea level on what is now improved agricultural pasture, at the south-east end of a farm trackway where other large field-clearance boulders have been lined up along the route. The decorated stone rests among them, distinguishable mainly by the motifs on its tilted face. Because the surface angles downward, getting a clear view of the carvings requires some patience and a low vantage point. The two boulders pressing against its north-west side remain a complication: it is possible that more of the original carving lies hidden where they meet the stone.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Rock art, Derrynacoulagh, Co. Kerry. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement