Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Rock art
Letter West, County Kerry, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Letter West
- County
- Kerry
- Country
- Ireland
- Coordinates
- 52.01396, -10.01041
- SMR number
- KE071-170----
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 and cutaway bog (165m OD), on a gentle NE-facing slope, c. 7.5m to E of rock art site (KE071-169----). Good views of Behy river valley to NE with Seefin and Droum Mountains in background. A very rough and fractured, sandstone rock outcrop (dims. 2.75m NW-SE; 1.32m NE-SW; H 0.5m at NE) which is subrectangular in plan. It has an irregular-shaped decorated surface (dims. 1.25m ESE-WNW; 0.55m NNW-SSE) with a N and a S-facing aspect. The decorative elements are very weathered and difficult to decipher due to natural rock striations. The elements upon the S-facing aspect consist of a cup-and-one-ring motif (total dims. 20cm N-S; c. 12cm E-W) having a cupmark (diam. 7cm; D 7mm) and a sub-oval ring (Wth 1.5cm; D 3-4mm) at SE edge of decorated surface; Three cupmarks adjacent to E and a picked linear groove (L 23cm; Wth 1.5cm; D 2-3mm) is c. 2cm to NW; a single cupmark is adjacent to W of groove. A trapezoidal ring (total dims. 17cm NW-SE; 11cm NE-SW) encloses a pair of cupmarks within: small cupmark (diam. 3cm; D 4mm) and large cupmark (diam. 5cm; D 4mm). An isolated cupmark is located at the western end of the decorated surface. An additional cup-and-one ring motif (total dims. 16cm N-S; 12cm E-W) with a possible eroded cupmark was noted (in a different light), upon the N-facing aspect of this stone. Area of sphagnum moss around base of stone at SE.
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.