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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Rock art

Letter West, County Kerry, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Rock art, Letter West, County Kerry, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Letter West
County
Kerry
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Not Indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Not Indicated
Coordinates
52.01606, -10.01655
SMR number
KE071-091----

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David 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)

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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 2015.  In rough pasture (174m), on a NE-facing slope, overlooking River Behy valley to NE and overlooked by mountain landscape SE->W->NW. Rock art site is situated on S edge of a broad, linear concentration (long-axis c. E-W) of rock outcrop and boulders. Smooth and fractured sandstone boulder (dims. 1.20m E-W, 0.92m N-S, max. H 0.7m) having a rectangular decorated surface (dims. 0.75m E-W, 0.75m N-S) with a S-facing aspect. A deep fracture/fissure (long-axis E-W; Wth 10cm) divides the stone into two separate pieces. There are two cupmarks (diam. 5cm; D 5-8mm) on the N portion of stone. A short linear groove (dims. L 5cm NE-SW; Wth 1cm; D 5mm) is located 14cm to W of the eastern cupmark. Three cupmarks (diam. 4-6cm; D 4-15mm) are located upon the S portion of stone. A small cluster of pickmarks (dims. L 10cm NW-SE; 3cm NE-SW; D 3mm) is located in the area between the three cupmarks. The pickmark cluster appears weathered at the SE end, where there is a natural hollow. Roofless ruin of drystone house is located c. 40m to NE.

Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly

Date of upload: 5 July 2017

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
All Rock art in Kerry All County Kerry records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
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