Rock art in Drom East (iveragh By.)

Rock art is inscribed on the upper surface of a rock (max 0.58m E–W x 1.3m N–S, H: 0.4m) which originally formed part of a large earth-fast boulder or outcrop (c.3m N–S x 1.5m E–W, H: 0.5m) before splitting away from the parent rock, its current position at a slight remove (c.0.2m) from where it was originally located, its upper surface now lower (c.0.2m) than the rest of the parent rock surface. The gap between the south end of the split rock and the rest of the rock surface is waterlogged and over 0.5m deep. The rock art, difficult to see due to heavy lichen encrustation, includes c.five cup-and-ring motifs, two of which have SW running radial grooves, one of these a cup-and-two ring motif (diam. 0.13m) whose second ring is truncated by the panel edge on the long side (at east) close to the parent rock. A small squarish cup-and-ring (diam 0.06m) is located towards the N extent of the decorated surface whose surface tapers to a point at N. The decorated surface is widest at S, a natural looking basin (0.1m E–W x 0.16n N–S) at its SW corner. The sides at E are rougher than the smooth and weathered upper surfaces, these surfaces possibly rough as a result of quarrying. A low-lying earth-fast rock directly adjacent to the rock art at N does not bear any readily visible rock art, some indentations in a linear formation towards its SW end possibly traces of a picked line. Compiled by: Aoibheann Lambe Date of upload/revision: 8 March 2022