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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
Coordinates
52.01437, -10.01128
SMR number
KE071-123----

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

In upland heath, on a gentle NE-facing slope (168m OD); lots of rock outcrop exposed across area and stream close to SE. Overlooked by mountains SE->W->NE and overlooking Behy River valley to NE. A smooth and fractured, sandstone rock outcrop (dims. 1.10m N-S; 2.60m E-W; 0.15m (max. H)) that has a generally flat, rectangular decorated surface (dims. 0.70m NW-SE; 0.40m NE-SW). The rock art is very weathered and there is clear evidence of freeze/thaw action. A line of pickmarks (L 70cm NE-SW; Wth 2cm; D 4mm) is located off-centre to N; freeze/thaw is evident at NE-end where part of this motif has flaked away. A cupmark (diam. 5cm; D 9mm) is located 1.5cm to N and a second cupmark (diam. 4cm; D 7mm) is located c. 18cm to S of this line. The second cupmark is very rough and may have weathered more than its original depth. A small linear groove (L 5cm NW-SE; Wth 1.5cm; D 3mm) is 3.5cm to WSW of northern cupmark. A small cluster of pickmarks is located to SE of the main pickmark line. Two irregular-shaped, weathered depressions to N and S of the pickmark line.

Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly

Date of upload: 27 March 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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