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Rock art in Kilmissan

Rock art

What is recorded here

Kilmissan rock art holds two cut cups and circles inside a farmyard wall near Ballymurphy, preserving only half of a larger stone. The shallow marks may have belonged to a boundary, a gift, or a warning, yet they survived being broken, moved, and buried in mortar. They still face the road, waiting for someone to notice what the yard has long stopped naming.
Incorporated into a N-facing wall in a farmyard that faces W onto the R702 road from the village of Ballymurphy, which is c. 700m to the SW. A rectangular block of stone (H 0.44m; Wth 0.14m) decorated with two rock art motifs, incorporated into a N-facing wall, formerly built into a shed at the same location. It was originally part of a larger stone and both motifs are truncated where the stone was split. The upper motif (dims. 0.15m x 0.1m), consists of a cup (diam. 0.04m) with two concentric circles with a linear grove extending from the cup outwards towards the split edge of the stone. The lower motif (dims. 0.14m x 0.06m) is similar but only half survives. It was first reported by Michael Fortune. See attached photographs by Michael Moore (taken 2 February 2020): CW022-073----_01 CW022-073----_02 Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 5 February 2020
Likely dating to the Neolithic or Bronze Age, the rock art may represent symbolic or ritual markings, possibly linked to territorial boundaries or spiritual beliefs. Its placement within a farmyard suggests possible reuse of the stone in later periods, though original meaning or folklore remains unrecorded.

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

What survives
Recorded monument

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