What is recorded here

Half a metre of grass and scrub still hides the western face of a flat-topped boulder on a Kerry slope, yet the exposed edge holds two cup-and-ring marks, a curving groove, four small cups and a diamond-shaped pick with a central cup. The stone sits beneath open views toward the Beara Peninsula, where sheep still graze the upland grass. Someone cleared that western edge recently enough for lichen to remain absent, perhaps revealing marks that had waited under vegetation since before written memory.

Rock art identified and described by Ken Williams as; ‘On sloping ground in an upland area of grass and scrub used for sheep grazing. Approximately half of the boulder is obscured by sod, scrub and a large rock. A flat-topped boulder on sloping ground, approx. 1.5m x 1m wide by 1.2m high, partially covered in sod, scrub and a large rock. The location has extensive views south towards the mountains on the Beara Peninsula. Only the western side of the stone is cleared of vegetation and appears to have been exposed in the recent past as some of the decorated face is free of lichen. The decoration consists of two cup and ring motifs (max. 10cm in diameter) situated close to each other near the southern edge of the stone. Beside the western cup and ring is an oval shaped area of pecking which has a short, curving groove, c. 0.25m long, extending northwards from it. North of this there are four small, shallow cup-marks, each c.4cm diameter. Next to these is a roughly square or diamond picked shape (c. 15cm x 15cm) with a large, shallow and sub-circular cup-mark in its centre. A small groove extends from its northern side towards the enclosing square/lozenge. There are loose areas of pecking, some of which may have formed a short line which has mostly spalled away’. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by Ken Williams

Likely dating to the Neolithic or Bronze Age, the rock art at Derreeny may have held ritual or territorial significance, possibly linked to early farming communities or spiritual practices. Its partial burial suggests possible intentional or natural obscuring over time, a common feature in the evolution of such sites.

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