What is recorded here

On the east shore of Lough Fad in County Donegal, a large square block bears four cup-marks, two surrounded by open circles. The geometry suggests deliberate placement rather than random chipping, yet the exact spot resists modern finding. Perhaps the lake took the rock during a flood, or the coordinates drifted with time. Either way, the marks preserve a moment when someone shaped stone beside water, leaving behind a puzzle the tide of years will not erase.

Large square shaped block (dims. 1.3m x 1.4m x 0.5m) lying on the E side of Lough Fad which is decorated with four separate cup-marks. There is a large central cup-mark with two open circles surrounding it, a second smaller cup mark in the upper right hand corner, this is also encircled by two open circles. In the upper left hand corner is a small plain cup-mark and there is a second, slightly longer plain cup-mark in the area near the lower left hand corner (Nolan 1994, 138). Area marked on 6-inch map was visited but there was no visible sign of the square-shaoed rock with the panel of rock art described above. The National Grid Reference for this panel of rock art may be incorrect. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload / revsion : 18 January 2011

This rock art is likely from the Neolithic or Bronze Age period, based on the presence of cup-marks, which are commonly associated with ritual or ceremonial practices in prehistoric Ireland. The arrangement of the cup-marks may symbolize celestial patterns, territorial markers, or have had a ritual significance related to water, given its location near Lough Fad.

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