What is recorded here

Rock art in Derreeny is a lozenge-shaped boulder in upland sheep-grazing east of a Kealduff river tributary, marked with two faint cup-and-ring motifs separated by a fine crack. The rings are barely visible beneath lichen and rugged stone, yet individual pickmarks still appear when looked for. From this inconspicuous panel, the view reaches the Ballaghbeama gap and Kealduff River Valley, as if the marks were made beside a distant horizon rather than for nearby praise.

In upland area of rough sheep-grazing. Panel of rock art identified and described by Aoibheann Lambe as; 'In a boulder strewn landscape, E of a tributary of the Kealduff river, the rugged upper surface of this slightly lozenge-shaped boulder (dims. c. 3m E-S x 1m N-S x H 1m) is inscribed with rock art which includes a cup-and-two ring motif (cup Diam. 4 cm; outer ring Diam. 20cm) and a fainter cup-and-single ring motif (cup Diam. 4cm, ring Diam. 10cm). The two motifs are separated by a fine crack in the rock surface. The rings appears to have been lightly worked and the rock art is not readily visible due to the lichen-encrusted and rugged surface of the rock. However, individual pickmarks can be discerned. Faint traces of strands of picking are also barely visible on the rock surface. Good views to the Ballaghbeama gap and a prospect towards the Kealduff River Valley are afforded from this panel which is itself inconspicuous in the landscape' (A. Lambe 12/03/2023). See attached photographs courtesy of Aoibheann Lambe Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by Aoibheann Lambe Date of upload: 13 March 2023

Likely dating to the Neolithic or Bronze Age, the rock art at Derreeny may have held ritual or symbolic significance, possibly linked to territorial markers, celestial observation, or ancestral beliefs common in upland landscapes of the period.

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