Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Rock art
Letter West, County Kerry, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Letter West
- County
- Kerry
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not Indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not Indicated
- Coordinates
- 52.01589, -10.01227
- SMR number
- KE071-088----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1753 map "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1753 · Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
This monument was initially identified as rock art by Aoibheann Lambe in 2014. In mountain heath, on a NE-facing slope (159m OD), overlooking Behy River valley to NE and overlooked by mountains SE->W->NE. A slightly rough and fractured, low profile sandstone boulder (dims. 1.30m N-S; 2.10m E-W; max. H 0.45m) having a rectangular decorated surface (dims. 1.30m N-S; 1.80m E-W) which has an E-facing aspect. The decorated surface appears naturally dimpled but this may represent ‘preparation’ of the stone surface prior to carving of motifs. Rock art is very weathered and faint consisting of a partial cup-and-ring motif (diam. 17cm E-W) having a deep cupmark (diam. 10cm; D 20mm) and a semi-circular ring (Wth 1.5cm; D 3mm) E->S->WNW at NW area of stone. There are two cup-and-two ring motifs, one to NW and a second to SE of decorated surface. The cup-and-two-ring motif (diam. 28cm) to NW, has a cupmark (diam. 9cm; D 3.5mm) and ring (Wth 2cm; D 3mm) which are very weathered. The larger cup-and-two-ring motif (diam. 34cm) to SE has a cupmark (diam. 9cm; D 10mm) and ring (Wth 2cm; D 3mm); Four cupmarks (diam. 5-7cm; D 5-8mm) are distribute to NE, E, SW and W. Rock art site (KE071-003001-) is c. 40m to NW.
Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly
Date of upload: 3 March 2017
Nearby in the register
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.