What is recorded here

Three cup-marks cut into a tall upright granite stone on Three Rock Mountain, beside post-1700 quarry wounds and the initials R J W with E D incised nearby. The marks may be prehistoric or they may be a stone-cutter’s joke, a signature, a measure of depth or a game played on rock already broken for sale. Either way the stone remains a small sharp place where human hands met mountain slope, and the quarry scars around it prove the mountain was taken seriously.

On the north-east facing slope of Three Rock Mountain, in the northern corner of the townland of Ballyedmonduff, 100m to the east of the townland boundary with Barnacullia and 125m to the south of the townland boundary with Newtown Little (E.D. Glencullen). Kilgobbin church (DU025-016001) and graveyard stands 500m to the east-north-east. Cup-marked stone (DU025-089----) and wedge-tomb (DU025-045----) stands 2.8km to the south. Several stone quarries are shown on the 1840 ed. OSi map close to the cup-marked stone. Three circular-shaped cup-marks in a triangular formation with incised initial R J W to the south with deeply incised lines to the north forming what looks like the letters E D. The letters may be related to stone-cutters who were quarrying the stone in this area in the post-1700 period. The most common type of carved symbol in prehistoric rock-art is the cup-mark which consists of a roughly circular-shaped hollow in the rock surface. On the top of the surface of a tall upright curving granite stone there are three cup-marks cut into the surface with initials R J W with deeply incised lines forming the letters E D. This stone discovered by Barry Coleman stands on the NE facing slope of Three Rock Mountain, 100m to the east of the townland boundary with Barnacullia and 125m to the south of the townland boundary with Newtown Little. Cup-marked stone (DU025-089----) and wedge-tomb (DU025-045----) stands 2.8km to the south. Several stone quarries are shown on the 1840 ed. OSi map close to the cup-marked stone. The surface of the stone inclines from east to west with the surface facing westwards towards higher ground. Evidence of post-1700 stone quarrying in the form of wedge holes for splitting rocks is visible in the stones surrounding the upright stone. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by Barry Coleman

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