What is recorded here

Twelve dark centuries ago, a hand struck a copper hammer against black rock in Donegal. The maker cut thirteen shallow cups into the sloping ridge, then drew two thin rings around the largest one. Rain has since filled the grooves and blurred the edges, but the rings still hold their shape. The maker may have marked a boundary, a gift, or a warning for someone who would arrive long after the hammer stopped ringing.

Described by Van Hoek as 'To the W of DON 37 (DG004-072001-) is a rock outcrop forming part of the ridge. It slopes down from 16 degrees to 21 degrees to the SW where carved, and has at least 13 cupmarks. The upper ones are possibly joined by grooves, but these grooves may alternatively be water channels of natural origin. Some of these cups are oval-shaped. Near the E end is a large cupmark surrounded by two faint but complete rings' (fig. 12E) (Van Hoek 1987, 41). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload/revision: 30 May 2010

Likely dating to the Neolithic or Bronze Age, the rock art at Magheranaul may have had ritual or astronomical significance, as cupmarked stones are often associated with ceremonial or symbolic practices in prehistoric landscapes.

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