What is recorded here

Half a metre of grass and you lose the rings entirely. What remains is a smooth sandstone slab, flush with the field, carrying faint cups and rings along one edge. The markers are small enough to overlook, yet they survive because someone cut them into living rock. Coomasaharn still keeps that much of the making hand.

This flat section of rock, 3.3m x 1.6m, is flush with the surrounding ground level. The rock art motifs are largely confined to a .7m wide strip of the surface at its SW end, within which are a number of meandering grooves and clusters of minute cupmarks. Five larger cupmarks are enclosed within one to three annular and penannular rings. A short radial groove extends from one such cup-mark to merge into a series of meandering lines. In a second example, a radial groove extends from the outer ring of the motif and ends in two cupmarks, while in a third example, a line of four minute cupmarks extends from the central cupmark (O’Kelly 1958a, 2, No. 1; Finlay 1973,43). See attached drawing of rock art taken from O'Sullivan and Sheehan 1996, Fig. 50 (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. 277. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 28 July 2013 In rough pasture field, on a SE-facing slope (171m OD), overlooked by higher ground S->W; Coomasaharn Lake c. 380m to SW. A smooth and fractured, sandstone rock (dims. 3.30m NW-SE; 1.43m NE-SW; max. H 0.10m), which has a flat sub-rectangular decorated surface (dims. 2.50m NW-SE x 0.90m NE-SW) along the western half of the rock. The surface of protrudes just above the present ground level and there is a short, low ‘ridge’ of rock (H c. 0.1m) at NW edge. The motifs are very faint and weathered and covered in lichens and black moss with vegetation and mosses encroaching upon the S and W-side, where some motifs are obscured. There are six cupmarks (diam. 3-5cm; D 3mm) across the decorated surface. There is one cup-and-two ring motif (diam. 18cm) having a cupmark (diam. 5cm; D 3mm) and ring (Wth 1.0cm; D 3mm). One cup-and-three ring motif (diam. 31cm) having a cupmark (diam. 5cm; D 3mm) and ring (Wth 1.0cm; D 3mm). There are a number of meandering linear grooves and some pockmarks (diam. 1-1.5cm; D 3mm) upon the decorated surface, amongst the other motifs mentioned. Rock art site (KE071-061----) is c. 15m to E. Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly Date of upload: 3 March 2017

Likely dating to the Neolithic or Bronze Age, the meandering grooves may represent symbolic or ritual markings, possibly linked to water or movement in prehistoric belief systems. No specific folklore is recorded for this site.

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