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Rock art in Letter West

Rock art

What is recorded here

Nine tiny square holes pierce the sandstone beside ancient cup marks, joining only two other known sites in County Kerry. The rock sits half-hidden in cutaway bog, waiting for someone to notice the repeated geometry beneath the heath.
In mountain heath and cutaway bog (165m OD), on a gentle NE-facing slope, c. 3.5m to SE of a pre-bog field wall and c. 5.5m to W of rock art (KE071-169----). Good views of Behy river valley to NE with Seefin and Droum Mountains in background. A slightly rough and unfractured, sandstone rock outcrop (dims. 1.7m N-S; 1.5m E-W; H 0.35m at E) which is trapezoidal in plan. It has a subrectangular-shaped decorated surface (dims. 1.45m NNE-SSW; 0.4m ESE-WNW) with a WNW-facing aspect. The decorative elements are deeply picked and well-preserved and consist of a partial cup-and-five-ring motif (total dims. 0.4m N-S; 0.32m E-W) having a cupmark (diam. 6cm; D 8mm) and rings (Wth 1cm; D 3-4mm) at SW end of decorated surface. The rings are only visible WNW->N->ESE and are not traceable across the southern half; motif is also interrupted by a natural rise in rock surface at WNW; Three distinct pickmarks adjacent to SW appear to follow the projected fifth ring. A cup-and-two-ring motif (dims. 20cm N-S; 17cm E-W) having a cupmark (diam. 4.5cm; D 6mm) and rings (Wth 1cm; D 2-4mm) is adjacent to NE; connected to a cupmark (diam. 4cm; D 5mm) by a short radial groove. A cup-and-three-ring motif (total diam. 29cm) having a cupmark (diam. 6.5cm; D 9mm) and ring (Wth 1-2cm; D 3-4mm) is off-centre to NE of the decorated surface; Two cupmarks (max. diam. 3cm; D 3-4mm) are adjacent to W and NW. Three cup-and-one-ring motifs (max. dims. 14cm N-S; 16cm E-W) having a cupmark (diam. 7.5cm; D 4mm) and ring (Wth 1-2cm; D 2mm) are generally located along the western area of the decorated surface; radial grooves extend from three of these. Nine square depressions (L 5mm x 6mm; D 4mm) deliberately applied to surface and similar to features recorded upon two other rock art sites (KE071-155---- and KE071-161----). Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly Date of upload: 26 January 2018

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What survives
Recorded monument

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