What is recorded here

Buaile An Ghleanna holds a red sandstone boulder buried beneath Mayo pasture until machines dragged it into daylight in 2022. Its concentric circles and protruding central boss face Clew Bay, Clare Island and Achill, as though marking a boundary between land, water and memory. The stone may have watched herds, storms or passing people for centuries before becoming a museum object, but its grooves still suggest human patience rather than accidental weathering.

This record refers to a sandstone boulder decorated with rock art, which was uncovered in 2022 during land reclamation works in Bolinglanna townland. The boulder was originally embedded in the ground at roughly this location but was displaced during the ground works. The discovery was notified immediately to the National Monuments Service and the National Museum of Ireland, and the stone was subsequently transferred to the NMI for future safe-keeping (Acquisition no: NMI 2022:60 (Bolinglanna Td., Co. Mayo)). The find location is on the S-SW edge of the mountainous Corraun peninsula, where the high ground gives way to a relatively narrow strip of farmland bordering the rocky shoreline. The stone was discovered in a field of rough, rock-strewn pasture with a general S-facing slope, affording excellent views over Clew Bay, with Clare Island and Achill Beg Island clearly visible to SW and WSW and the S end of Achill Island to W. Croagh Patrick is visible in the distance to SE on the opposite side of the bay. At the base of the slope, ground levels out to flat, damp rush-grown ground through which a stream flows. To N the terrain rises to a high ridge of rough, rocky ground. The irregular-shaped Old Red sandstone boulder (c. 0.75m x c. 0.7m x c. 0.5m) bears a band of three close-set motifs of concentric circles on one face. A fourth motif of concentric arcs is conjoined to two of the circular motifs, and a possible fifth circular motif is partly concealed by lichen. The largest circular motif (overall diam. 17cm) has an unusual three-dimensional quality, with a pronounced central boss (diam. 5.5cm; H c. 2cm) encircled by three deep concentric grooves which have a rough, corroded appearance. Adjacent to these motifs is a subcircular raised feature (max. dim. 8cm), possibly a natural feature of the stone. On the opposite side of the stone there is a slightly concave raised feature enclosed on one side by rough concentric arcs –it is unclear if this is another incised motif or merely natural grooving/weathering of the stone. The stone is currently undergoing specialist recording and conservation in NMI. Attached images: MA076-036----_01.jpg Boulder with rock art MA076-036----_01.jpg Detail of rock art motifs MA076-036----_01.jpg Detail of rock art motif Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 31 May 2022

The rock art on the sandstone boulder at Buaile An Ghleanna is likely from the Late Neolithic or Bronze Age, based on stylistic comparisons with other Irish rock art. Its meaning is unclear, but such motifs may have had ritual, territorial, or symbolic significance.

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