What is recorded here

Half a metre of mossy sandstone holds cup marks and rings cut by hands that predate every written name in Kerry. The stone sits inside an old field boundary beside the Caragh river, proving that people farmed and marked this valley before bog swallowed the surrounding land. Its grooves still connect the cups like a forgotten diagram, waiting for a willing mind to read what they recorded.

This boulder is located in boggy land on the S side of the Caragh river, close to the head of the Bridia valley. Measuring 1.65m x .95m x .6m thick, the decoration is confined to the N end of its upper surface. There are three cup-and-rings, three cup-and-two rings, one cup-and-three rings and four simple cupmarks. A number of short grooves also occur. The surface of the stone is somewhat weathered, but the motifs are clearly decipherable. The rock art occurs within the bounds of a pre-bog field system (KE072-016----). The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 355. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 28 July 2013 In mountain heath (130m OD), on eastern side of a low ridge, on a N-facing slope; Good views toward Bridia valley WNW->N->ENE and MacGillycuddy’s Reeks to NE. A smooth and unfractured, earthfast sandstone boulder (dims. 1.72m NNE-SSW; 0.94m ESE-WNW; max. H 0.38m), which is very weathered and covered with black/green mosses and white lichen. This boulder has a flat, sub-rectangular decorated surface (dims. 1.0m NE-SW, 0.90m NW-SE). The motifs are difficult to see and consist of a cup-and-three-ring motif (overall dims. 28cm x 25cm; ring Wth 2cm; D 3mm; cup diam. 11cm; D 13mm) is off-centre to NE; The inner ring is complete, the second ring is open to N and the third ring is present NE->SE. A cupmark (diam. 6cm, D 5mm) with adjoining radial groove (dims. L 22cm; Wth 1cm; D 2mm) abut to SE. A cup-and-two-ring motif (overall diam. 19cm; ring Wth 1cm; D 3mm; cup diam. 7cm; D 10mm) is close to SW. A rectilinear groove (dims. L 12cm E-W; 19cm NE-SW; Wth 1cm; D 3mm) connects the cup-and-two-ring motif to the cup-and-three-ring motif. A linear groove (L 35cm E-W) extends from the cup-and-three-ring motif and terminates adjacent to a cupmark at W edge of stone. A cup-and-ring motif (overall diam. 14cm; ring Wth 1.5cm; D 2mm; cup diam. 9cm; D 10mm) is located at E edge of stone. A second cup-and-ring-motif is at NW edge of stone. Four single cupmarks (diam. 5-8cm; D 20-30mm) are to ENE, SE, SW and WSW of the two main motifs. A low, semi-circular stone wall curves around this rock art site E->S->W and is 4m to E at its closest point. The motifs are slightly different to that described by O’Sullivan & Sheehan (1996, 105), which may be due to moss and lichen cover that inhibits clear visibility of the decorated surface. Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly Date of upload: 5 July 2017

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