What is recorded here

Rock art in Ballinvally is a 1.6m stone from County Meath, Ireland, covered in cup and circle motifs, recovered during land reclamation in 1969. Its primary design is a cup with four rings and a radial line, surrounded by smaller cups and rings, some open at one point. The stone now sits in NMI, preserving a ancient surface that likely marked territory, ritual or memory before ploughs erased its setting.

A stone (max. dims 1.6m x 1.15m; T 0.3m) covered with cup and circle motifs on one side was recovered during land reclamation in 1969. The most striking and probably the primary motif is a cup with four rings and a radial line. Surrounding this and partly attached to it are four or five cups with three rings, two of which have radial lines. There are at least two cupmarks with two rings and two with one ring, while there could be two or three simple rings and five or more cupmarks of different sizes on the decorated surface. Some of the rings while they might not have radial lines can be open at one point. There are some cupmarks on the reverse side, and the stone is now in NMI (1969: 676). (Shee 1972; Shee Twohig 2001, 119; Shee-Twohig et al. 2010, 21; Eogan 2011, 6-7, No. 3) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revision: 3 March, 2017

This rock art, featuring a prominent cup-and-circle motif with four rings and a radial design, is likely Neolithic in origin (c. 4000–2500 BCE). Such imagery may have held ritual or symbolic significance, possibly related to water, fertility, or celestial observation.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.