Rock scribing — folk art in Poulawack

On a fairly flat face of rock outcrop with some natural fissures facing E, about 5m above a bend in the road from Carron church (CL009-075001-) to Ballydoora cross-roads is a chase or hunt scene of indeterminate date. Three individual riders on galloping horses can be made out on the rock face because they have been white-washed or painted white. The rock face (L 4m; H 1-1.2m) has a grass shelf in front of it and the ground falls away in further shelves down to the road. The rock may have been burnt, rendering the surface somewhat flaky and allowing light carving. Rock faces to the S are stepped back from the road but no carvings are evident there. The most northerly leading horse is the most easily distinguished. The smoothing of the flaky rock for the legs is very clear and the two back legs utilize faults in the rock to represent hooves (max. L 0.65m; max. H 0.55m). The horse is depicted galloping at full tilt. The horseman, the horse's head and the back of the horse are not properly incised in the rock although it could be suggested that the horseman is helmeted. The central horse (L 0.65m; max. H 0.6m) is also well defined around the legs, especially the forelegs. The paint has faded more than the leading horseman and does not occupy all the smoothed area of the rock. The S rider is poorly defined, even though the rock has been burnt in preparation (L 0.58m; H 0.45m). The quarry, further N along the same rock face consists of only scratches in the rock. There are a number of incised lines in an area c. 0.7m long by 0.4m high. It seems to have a pointed snout - more like a beak and possibly long legs like a bird. Although this panel had been burnt no attempt was made to paint it. According to local information the scene hasn't been painted for many years and is supposed to commemorate a hunt which went from Leamaneh to Ballyvaughan during which a man was killed. The leading animal was supposed to be a hare which was the object of the chase. Coffey (1995, 15-16) mentions a second theory that they might be associated with ‘The caves of the Wild Fairy Horses’ in Kilcorney townland. Further carvings to S apparently included a ship but these have been removed. The following images have been uploaded: CL009-198----_01.jpg View of painted horses on the rock face above the roadway. CL009-198----_02.jpg Series of painted horses from E. CL009-198----_03.jpg View of the two horses furthest to the N. CL009-198----_04.jpg Close-up of the second horse. CL009-198----_05.jpg Close-up of the third horse. Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Michael Moore Date of upload: 19 August 2019