What is recorded here

Six low stones sit scattered across a stony hillside in County Kerry, each marked with cups and rings cut into smooth sandstone. The largest measures 2.75m by 1.85m and carries nineteen cupmarks plus seven cup-and-ring designs, most clustered near its northeast edge. Someone knelt here in the distant past, striking repeated holes and drawing rings around them, perhaps counting seasons, marking territory or speaking to forces they believed lived inside rock. The valley below has changed little since, keeping their patient work exposed beneath an open sky.

The flat upper surface of this earthfast stone, 2.75m x 1.85m in maximum dimensions, features nineteen cupmarks and seven cup-and-rings. The cup-and-rings tend to cluster at the NE end of the stone; one ring is penannular and another bears traces of an outer ring (Anati 1936, 6, No.9; Finlay 1973, 79). 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. 300. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 28 July 2013 In a very stony area of upland heath pasture, on a S-facing slope (247m OD), overlooking Kealduff River valley of which stream to SW is a tributary. One of a cluster of six low profile, decorated stones which occupy a small area (dims. 16m NE-SW; 8m NW-SE) of hillside. Smooth and fractured sandstone rock outcrop (dims. 2.75m N-S; 1.85m E-W; H 0.35m) with a sub-rectangular decorated flat surface (dims. 1.35m N-S; 1.5m E-W). The rock art is weathered yet visible and consists of: Nineteen single cupmarks (diam. c. 3-5cm; D c. 4-10mm); six cup-and-one ringmark (total diam. c. 13-15cm), having a cupmark (diam. 5cm; D 4mm) and ring (Wth 2cm; D 2-3mm); one cup-and-two ringmarks (total diam. 21cm) of which there is an oval cup (dims. 7cm NE-SW; 5cm NW-SE; D 10mm) a well-defined inner ring (Wth 2cm; D 2-3mm) and a faint outer ring. It is possible that there may be an additional cupmark abutting to NW of the cup-and-two ring motif. Rock art (KE082-023002-) is located 4.5m to N. Lough Brin is situated to E. Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly Date of upload: 8 March 2017

Likely dating to the Neolithic or Bronze Age, this rock art may have had ritual or symbolic significance, possibly linked to astronomical observations or territorial markers. The clustering of cup-and-rings suggests a focus area, though specific folklore or use remains unrecorded.

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