Rock art in Derrynablaha

This example comprises two cup-and-ring motifs on an exposed section of outcrop which is otherwise overlain by about .15m of peat. The rock surface is heavily fissured and features several quartz veins. The ring at N is irregular in outline (Finlay 1973, 89). See attached drawing of rock art taken from O'Sullivan and Sheehan 1996, Fig. 59 (b) 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. 312. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. On rocky knoll of outcrop (169m OD), c. 10m to S of standing stone (KE082-031----). Kealduff River valley to NE and Ballaghbeama Gap to NW. Very rough and fractured, flat, pink sandstone rock outcrop (dims. 1.7m NW-SE; 0.5m NE-SW) with milky quartz veins. It has an irregular-shaped exposed surface due to the encroaching bog. The stone has a slight SSW-facing aspect but is generally level and the exposed portion does not bear any motifs. According to O’Sullivan & Sheehan (1996, 94; Entry 312; Figure 59b), the rock art consists of ‘two cup-and-ring motifs on an exposed section of outcrop which is otherwise overlain by about 0.15m of peat. The rock surface is heavily fissured and features several quartz veins. The ring at N is irregular in outline (Finlay 1973, 89). Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly Date of upload: 8 March 2017

Likely dating to the Neolithic or Early Bronze Age, the cup-and-ring motifs at Derrynablaha are commonly associated with ritual or symbolic practices, possibly linked to territorial markers, ceremonial activity, or astronomical alignments. Such rock art often features in local folklore as ancient messages or sacred sites connected to the Otherworld.