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Rock art in Coomasaharn

Rock art

What is recorded here

Coomasaharn buries thirty-three cupmarks and a dividing groove inside a Kerry land drain, forcing people to dig through peat before the stone can speak. The rosette of nine cups sits west of the groove while eight scattered marks cluster east, suggesting a boundary drawn across rock rather than soil. The chamber waits beneath ordinary ground, waiting for someone stubborn enough to remove the dirt and discover that the valley edge still holds a finished picture.
In a land drain (long-axis NE-SW) and partially covered by bog, on a gentle NE-facing slope (154m OD). Field boundary flanks drain to SE and corner of field is c. 7 m to SW. Some peaty soil removed to expose the decorated surface as much as possible. Views of Behy River valley to N, from upper edge of drain. A slightly rough and fractured sandstone rock (dims. 1.36m NE-SW; 0.73m NW-SE; 0.34m (max. H to base of drain) with a long, irregular-shaped decorated surface (dims. 1.01m NE-SW; 0.53m NW-SE) which has a flat area on top and a slight NW-tilting aspect. The rock art consists of thirty-three cupmarks and a linear groove (long-axis NE-SW; Wth 2cm; D 3mm) off-centre to SE of the decorated surface, which alternates to a curvilinear groove of rough pickmarks at the SW-end. This linear/curvilinear groove appears to divide the decorated surface, having twenty-five of the cupmarks to NW and eight to SE. Nine of the cupmarks to NW form a rosette-style motif which consists of a large, central cupmark (diam. 7cm; D 11mm) enclosed by eight smaller cupmarks (average diam. 4cm; D 3mm). This rosette motif is enclosed by the curvilinear groove SE->W->NW. There are a pair of small cupmarks (average diam. 4cm; D 3mm) to N of the rosette and a single cupmark of similar size, to W of the curvilinear motif. Eleven cupmarks (average diam. 4cm; D 3mm) are to E of the rosette motif, on the NW-side of the linear groove. Eight cupmarks (diam. 4-5cm; D 3mm) are located to SE of the linear/curvilinear groove and of these, a large cupmark (diam. 6cm; D 4mm) is at SW-end of decorated surface. Decoration continues under bank of peat at edge of drain. Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly Date of upload: 27 March 2017

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.

What survives
Recorded monument

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