Rock art (present location)

The National Monuments Service's description

This stone decorated with rock art motifs was donated to UCC from the collection of Admiral Boyle Somerville (1938, 59) and is said to have come from Gortbrac farm, Gortbrack, near Castletownshend, Co Cork. It is currently on permanent display in the Stone Corridor, University College Cork. For details see CO151-049----.

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 metal shelf. A slightly rough and fractured sandstone boulder (dims. 1.43m E-W; H 0.85m; max. T 0.15m), subrectangular in plan and with a subrectangular decorated surface (dims. 1.15m E-W; H 0.82m) which is displayed upon wall as S-facing. There are thirteen motifs concentrated across the upper portion of the stone. The main decorative elements are five large cup-and-ring motifs arranged across the upper portion of the stone’s surface. The first cup-and-ring motif (overall dims. 22cm x 23cm; ring Wth 6cm, D 1.5-2cm; cup diam.9cm; D 5cm) has a deeply chiselled ring and is located at the extreme left of decorated surface. The second cup-and-ring motif (overall diam. 17cm; ring D 4-5mm; cup diam. 9cm; D 5cm), adjacent to right, has a very faint ring which is only visible to left and right of the cup. The third cup-and-ring motif (overall dims. 25cm x 24cm; ring D 1cm; cup diam.13cm; D 7cm) is the largest and located at top centre of the decorated surface; the ring is chiselled and the top sector is truncated at edge of stone. The fourth cup-and-ring motif (overall diam. 17cm; ring D 3cm; cup dims.10cm x 11cm; D 5cm) at top right of decorated surface has a very faint ring which is only evident WSW->E. There appears to be a wide groove (L 14cm) linking the third and fourth cupmarks. The fifth cup-and-ring motif (overall diam. 24cm; ring Wth 2-2.5cm; D 4-5mm; cup dims.12cm x 13cm; D 6.5cm) at extreme right of the decorated surface, has an incomplete ring which is truncated at edge of stone. A slightly angular groove (L 68cm; Wth 2-2.5cm; D 4-5mm) is located between the fourth and fifth cup-and-ring motif and extends from top to base of this elevation. A solution mark (dims. 8cm x 2.5cm x D 1.5cm) extends from this groove to E. There are also six cupmarks located below the three central cup-and-ring motifs. Three of these cupmarks (diam. 8cm; D 3.5-4mm) are well pronounced and the other three cupmarks (diam. 5cm; D 1.5mm) are shallow. The precise original location of this stone is unknown, however it is said to have come from Gortbrack Farm (c. 80m OD), to NW of Crookhaven, West Cork. It appears to have been donated to UCC from the collection of Admiral Boyle Somerville.

Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly

Date of upload: 13 July 2017