What is recorded here

Coomasaharn is a partially exposed rock outcrop in County Kerry, Ireland, bearing one cupmark inside two rings. The small stone sits in upland heath pasture above Coomasaharn Lake, yet thick moss, bog and furze may still hide its edges. Whoever cut that simple target may have marked a boundary, a prayer or a meeting place before the land swallowed the proof.

This partially exposed section of rock outcrop measures 1m NE-SW x .7m NW-SE. It features a cupmark contained within two annular rings. See attached drawing of rock art taken from O'Sullivan and Sheehan 1996, Fig. 50 (d) The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 275. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 28 July 2013 In upland heath pasture, on a SE-facing slope (c. 210m OD). Good views over Coomasaharn Lake to S. Location from grid reference provided is close to NW of a range of small, enclosed fields. Not located. According to O’Sullivan & Sheehan (1996, 83; Entry 275, Figure 50 (d), ‘this partially exposed section of rock outcrop (dims. 1.0m NE-SW x 0.7m NW-SE) is irregular in plan and has a decorated surface bearing one cupmark within two rings. The few stones that were exposed across this area were inspected and none appear to bear rock art of this description. This rock art example is likely to be obscured by bog, thick tussocks of mollinia and furze. Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly Date of upload: 2 March 2017

Likely dating to the Neolithic or Bronze Age, this rock art may have had ritual or symbolic significance, possibly linked to water or fertility due to the cup-and-ring motif. Similar motifs are found across Britain and Ireland, often associated with ceremonial landscapes.

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