What is recorded here

Kealduff Upper holds faint rock art on a tilted sandstone slab beside the Behy River valley. Someone cut shallow marks and small cups into the stone, perhaps mapping water, sky or memory before writing existed. The mountains still surround the place like a bowl, keeping the gesture close to the land that first received it.

In mountain heath (150m OD), on a NE-facing slope. Excellent view of Behy River valley to NE and overlooked by horseshoe of mountains enclosing SE->SW->N. A smooth and fractured sandstone (dims. 3.00m N-S; 1.50m E-W; max. H 0.15m) which is rectangular in plan. The decorated surface (dims. 2.50m N-S; 1.10m E-W) is has a gentle N-facing tilt and protrudes just above existing ground level. The decorative elements are very weathered and faint consisting of six features. The motifs include a linear arrangement (long-axis N-S) of pickmarks (L 64cm; Wth 1cm; D 3-4mm) at NE side of decorated surface. The pickmarks peter out at S end where there are nine to ten small, single pockmarks. A depressed (D 5mm) cup-and-two-ring motif (overall diam. 13cm; ring Wth 1-1.5cm; D 2mm; cup diam. 1.5cm; D 2mm) is adjacent to W. A short line of pickmarks (L 13cm; Wth 1.5cm; D 4mm), which curves slightly, extends across a prominent step (H 5cm) at S to a short step (H 1cm) at N. An intermittent linear formation of pickmarks (L 1.0m) (average Wth 5mm; D 2-3mm) is on W side. A square depression (dims. 6.5cm x 6.5cm) is located at S end. A cupmark (diam. 6cm; D 4mm) is located at S end of decorated surface and a natural hollow is adjacent to WNW. Rock art (KE071-090----) is c. 14m to NE. Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly Date of upload: 18 July 2017

Likely dating to the Neolithic or Bronze Age, this rock art may have had ritual or territorial significance, possibly linked to landscape features or seasonal movements. No specific folklore is recorded for the site.

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