What is recorded here

Five cupmarks circle a central one on a fractured sandstone ledge above the Kealduff River valley, while three larger cup-and-ring motifs fade near the edges. The carvings sit in upland heath pasture, exposed to weather and overlooked by rugged western mountains. A person may have marked the rock during a storm or a clear summer day, using the ledge as a visible anchor between the valley and the sky.

This large area of rock outcrop measures 5.1m x 3.4m. Its flat, decorated surface is at a lower level than its 2.5m high E side. Shallow cupmarks, a few of which feature radial grooves, dominate the carvings, and the presence of extensive pitting may partly be the result of weathering. Five individual cupmarks form a circular arrangement around a central one. There are four cup-and-ring motifs, two with incomplete rings, and a small cup-and-circle is the only motif present on the irregular E side (Finlay 1973, 89-90). See attached drawing of rock art taken from O'Sullivan and Sheehan 1996, Fig. 54 (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. 321. 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 steep portion of a NE-facing slope (146m OD), extensive views afforded overlooking Kealduff River valley and Lough Brin to NE. Directly overlooked by steep, rugged mountain landscape to W. A very rough and fractured sandstone rock outcrop (dims. 5.8m NW-SE; 3.3m NE-SW; H 2.5m) which is cut into hillslope at SW-side. It is irregular in plan and has a flat decorated surface (dims. 2.2m NW-SE; 0.7m NE-SW) with a rugged step-up along the NE-side and grass growing in the natural crevasses. The motifs are quite faint and consist of approximately thirty-one cupmarks (diam. 3-6.5cm, D 6-9mm) concentrated across centre and at SE-end. There are three cup-and-one ring motifs (diam. 15cm) of which the cupmarks (diam. 8cm; D 8mm) are quite large and deep and the ring (Wth 2cm; D 2mm). Two of these are at the SE-end and one is at the NW-end. There is also a partial cup-and-ring (diam. c. 19cm) off-centre to NW. The three cup-and-one ring and the partial cup-and-ring motifs are very faint. Random pickmarks are concentrated around the central area of cupmarks. Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly Date of upload: 8 March 2017

Likely dating to the Neolithic or Bronze Age, the rock art at Derrynablaha consists mainly of shallow cupmarks, some with radial grooves, which are commonly associated with ritual or symbolic practices in prehistoric Europe. Such carvings may have had ceremonial, territorial, or astronomical significance, though their exact meaning remains unclear.

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