Rock scribing, Glanrastel, Co. Kerry

Co. Kerry |

Ritual/Ceremonial

Rock scribing, Glanrastel, Co. Kerry

On the south-east-facing slope of Cummeenbaun Mountain in south-west Kerry, a massive boulder carries markings so numerous they cannot be counted.

The north face of this roughly cuboid stone, about twelve metres long and three metres high, is covered across an area nearly six metres wide and two metres tall with clusters of incised lines. Most run vertically, but horizontal and diagonal lines are scored across them in groups, producing a dense, almost tally-like effect. The cuts are shallow, between one and four millimetres deep, made with a V-shaped tool, and they reach as high as two metres above the ground. A large upright slab leans against the boulder to form a rough natural shelter, open at both ends, which local tradition calls Pluais na Scríob, meaning the cave of the inscribing.

The purpose of the markings is not established with certainty, and their age is similarly open. Rock scribing of this kind, where lines are systematically grouped rather than forming recognisable figures or symbols, does not fit neatly into the better-known categories of Irish prehistoric rock art, such as the circular and spiral motifs found further north in counties Louth and Donegal. The grouping pattern, with vertical strokes crossed by a single line, does visually resemble tally marks, which has prompted speculation about counting or record-keeping, though no definitive interpretation has been agreed. Researchers Grant (1999) and Shee Twohig (2004) have both engaged with the site, and the sheer density and extent of the inscriptions across the boulder's face is what distinguishes Pluais na Scríob from more isolated or ambiguous examples of incised rock elsewhere in Kerry.

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