What is recorded here

Kealduff Upper holds a rare hexagonal rock art motif beside common cupmarks, marking the slope as a place where people recorded thought or claim. The chamber sits in mountain heath above the Behy river valley, with Seefin and Droum Mountains beyond, suggesting a boundary marker visible across distance. A field wall and hut site remain nearby, hinting that the rock still belongs to a lived landscape rather than a forgotten one.

In mountain heath (183m OD), on a NE-facing slope, sandwiched between two pieces of residual bog to NW and SE. Excellent views of Behy river valley to NE with Seefin and Droum Mountains in background. A slightly rough and fractured earthfast sandstone rock (dims. 2.4m NE-SW; 1.2m NW-SE; H 0.8m at E) which is subrectangular in plan. It has an irregular decorated surface (dims. 0.3m N-S; 0.45m E-W) with a steep E-facing aspect which bears one large decorative element. An unusual hexagonal motif (total dims. 26cm N-S; 24cm E-W) defined by a groove (Wth 2cm; D 2-4mm) is best defined NW->E->S and encloses a central cupmark (diam. 3cm; D 3mm). Three radial grooves (L c. 20-23cm; Wth 1.5-2cm; D 3-4mm) extend (long-axis E-W) from lower side of hexagonal motif to ground level. Very similar to heptagonal motif upon rock art site (KE071-165----) and not considered to be typical rock art. A field wall is c. 3.25m to WSW and a hut site is c. 15m to NNW. Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly Date of upload: 24 January 2018

Likely dating to the Neolithic or Bronze Age, this rock art may have had ritual or territorial significance, possibly linked to landscape features visible from the site. No specific folklore is recorded, but its positioning suggests a connection to ancient pathways or ceremonial activity in the mountain heath.

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