Rock art in Ballynahow Beg

This earthfast stone is located in pasture, on the S side of the floor of the Ferta valley. It is roughly triangular in cross-section and only its E face, sloping upwards to W, is decorated. Two planes form this face, and the decoration on the smaller, lower one is somewhat weathered. It consists of a cupmark, a cup-and-ring and a cup-and-two rings, which are joined by a short groove; a longer groove extends from the cup-and-ring. The larger plane features in approximately wedge-shaped grid, formed of subrectangular areas. Incorporated into this grid are two cupmarks, cup-and-ring and two cup-and-two rings with radial grooves. A small cupmark occurs outside the grid. See attached drawing of rock art taken from O'Sullivan and Sheehan 1996, Fig. 42 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. 262. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 28 July 2013 In improved pasture, toward base of a N-facing slope (40m OD); Earthen and hedgerow field boundary (long axis ENE-WSW) c. 3m to N obscures views to N. A smooth and fractured rock outcrop (dims. 1.98m N-S; 0.80m E-W; 0.35m max. H at E), which is roughly L-shaped in plan. It has an E and a W-facing decorated surface and the motifs are weathered and covered in green moss. Most of the motifs are on the E-facing aspect (dims. 0.90m N-S; 0.42m E-W) where there is a cup-and-two-ring motif (overall diam. 13cm; ring Wth 1cm; D 2-3mm; cup diam. 5cm; D 5mm) located centrally on the S-half of this surface. A very weathered radial groove extends from the cupmark to the exterior of the outer ring. A cupmark (diam. 3cm; D 4mm) is adjacent to SE and SW and a cup-and-two-ring motif (overall diam. 14cm; ring Wth 1cm; D 2-3mm; cup diam. 5cm; D 5mm) is adjacent to NE, where it is at ground level and continues under the sod. All of the aforementioned motifs are enclosed to E, S and W by a complex grid element (overall dims. 35cm N-S; 42cm E-W) comprising of linear grooves (Wth 1cm; D 3-4mm) intersecting at right angles. A cup-and-two-ring motif (overall diam. 11cm; ring Wth 1cm; D 4mm; cup diam. 4cm; D 6mm) is located further to N. According to O’Sullivan & Sheehan (1996, 80; Fig. 42), this was connected to a cup-and-ring motif by a short linear groove, however this is now under the sod. A cupmark (diam. 2cm; D 5mm) is to N and a rosette style motif (overall dims. 8cm N-S; 7cm E-W) formed by six small cupmarks (diam. 2cm) is located c. 7cm to NW. Soil has built up on E-side of the rock outcrop and the lower motifs on the E-facing aspect are not visible (see O’Sullivan & Sheehan 1996, Fig. 42). There is a cupmark (diam. 7cm; D 3mm) with a linear groove (L 17cm N-S; Wth 1cm; D 1-2cm) c. 20cm to W, on the W-facing decorated aspect of the rock outcrop. Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly Date of upload: 31 May 2017