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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
52.01387, -10.01052
SMR number
KE071-168----

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 mountain heath and cutaway bog (165m OD), on a gentle NE-facing slope, c. 3.5m to SE of a pre-bog field wall and c. 5.5m to W of rock art (KE071-169----). Good views of Behy river valley to NE with Seefin and Droum Mountains in background. A slightly rough and unfractured, sandstone rock outcrop (dims. 1.7m N-S; 1.5m E-W; H 0.35m at E) which is trapezoidal in plan. It has a subrectangular-shaped decorated surface (dims. 1.45m NNE-SSW; 0.4m ESE-WNW) with a WNW-facing aspect. The decorative elements are deeply picked and well-preserved and consist of a partial cup-and-five-ring motif (total dims. 0.4m N-S; 0.32m E-W) having a cupmark (diam. 6cm; D 8mm) and rings (Wth 1cm; D 3-4mm) at SW end of decorated surface. The rings are only visible WNW->N->ESE and are not traceable across the southern half; motif is also interrupted by a natural rise in rock surface at WNW; Three distinct pickmarks adjacent to SW appear to follow the projected fifth ring. A cup-and-two-ring motif (dims. 20cm N-S; 17cm E-W) having a cupmark (diam. 4.5cm; D 6mm) and rings (Wth 1cm; D 2-4mm) is adjacent to NE; connected to a cupmark (diam. 4cm; D 5mm) by a short radial groove. A cup-and-three-ring motif (total diam. 29cm) having a cupmark (diam. 6.5cm; D 9mm) and ring (Wth 1-2cm; D 3-4mm) is off-centre to NE of the decorated surface; Two cupmarks (max. diam. 3cm; D 3-4mm) are adjacent to W and NW. Three cup-and-one-ring motifs (max. dims. 14cm N-S; 16cm E-W) having a cupmark (diam. 7.5cm; D 4mm) and ring (Wth 1-2cm; D 2mm) are generally located along the western area of the decorated surface; radial grooves extend from three of these. Nine square depressions (L 5mm x 6mm; D 4mm) deliberately applied to surface and similar to features recorded upon two other rock art sites (KE071-155---- and KE071-161----).

Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly

Date of upload: 26 January 2018

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
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