Rock art (present location) in Cork City

This stone with rock art motifs was found in a secondary position in a field wall in Mothel, Co. Waterford and is currently on permanent display in the Stone Corridor in University College Cork. Its original location is not known. For details see WA007-054----. Compiled by: Archaeological Survey Unit, UCC. Date of upload: 20 January 2010 Located indoors, at W end of ‘Stone Corrridor’, Aula Maxima, Ground Floor, University College Cork. Well-preserved and mounted upon a custom-made metal shelf. A smooth and unfractured sandstone boulder (dims. 0.63m E-W; H 0.56m; max. T 0.29m) which is subrectangular in plan and has an irregular decorated surface (dims. 0.40m E-W; H 0.40m) which is displayed upon wall as S-facing. There are fifteen motifs concentrated upon the lower portion of the stone. The decorative elements consist of eight similar sized cup-and-ring motifs (overall diam. 8-9cm; ring Wth 1cm, D 3-4mm; cup diam.3-4cm, D 4-5mm) and a larger cup-and-ring motif (overall dims. 15cm E-W; 14cm N-S; ring Wth 1cm, D 3-4mm; cup diam. 5cm E-W; 4cm N-S; D 1mm). The cup-and-ring motif at SW has traces of an outer ring (overall dims.12cm N-S; 11cm E-W) which appears to be conjoined with three surrounding cup-and-ring motifs to N, NE and E. Three cupmarks (dims. 4cm x 3cm; D 3-4mm) are situated toward lower edge of stone. A line of three pickmarks (diam. 3-8mm; D 3mm) on W side of stone. This example of rock art was originally from Mothel, Co. Waterford and was initially acquired by the Rev. Canon Patrick Power before being donated to UCC. Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly Date of upload: 13 July 2017

This rock art likely dates to the Neolithic or Bronze Age periods (c. 4000–500 BCE) and may have had ritual or symbolic significance, possibly linked to territorial markers, spiritual beliefs, or ancestral commemoration. Its repositioning in a field wall suggests later reuse, while its current display highlights its cultural and archaeological value.