Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Rock art
Letter West, County Kerry, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Letter West
- County
- Kerry
- Country
- Ireland
- Coordinates
- 52.01243, -10.01281
- SMR number
- KE071-143----
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
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1753 "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
In mountain heath (183m OD), on a NE-facing slope, within a large scatter of loose rocks and boulders. Excellent view of Behy River valley to NE and overlooked by a horseshoe of mountains enclosing SE->SW->N. A slightly rough and fractured sandstone (dims. 1.10m NE-SW; 0.80m NW-SE; max. H 0.26m at NW) which is subrectangular in plan. The decorated surface (dims. 0.45m NW-SE; 0.35m NE-SW) has a W-facing aspect and bears extremely weathered and very faint motifs. The decorative elements consist of a circular cupmark (diam. 4cm; D 3mm) and an oval cupmark motif (dims. 4cm x 3cm; D 3mm) adjacent to SE, which may have possible traces of a ring (Wth 1cm; D 3mm) at NW and NE. A small pockmark (diam. 12mm; D 4mm) is located 0.2m to NW, on a lower area of the decorated surface. Three possible pickmarks (diam. 5mm; D 3-4mm) are adjacent to SE. A low, drystone field wall (long-axis E-W) is c. 1.8m to NW and a stream (long-axis NE-SW) is c. 4m to NW. Rock art (KE071-144----) is located c. 15m to S.
Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly
Date of upload: 18 July 2017
Nearby in the register
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.