Derrynablaha Derreeny (321) rock art

Summary: The Derreeny (321) boulder in the Derrynablaha area contains rock art which includes 31 cupmarks and several cup-and-ring motifs.

  • Site type: Rock engraving
  • Number of motifs: 35
  • Motif/s: Cupmarks, Cup-and-Ring
  • Quality: 2.5/5
  • Condition of site: Good
  • Year first recorded: 1973
  • Ann O’Sullivan and John Sheehan, The Iveragh Peninsula: An Archaeological Survey of South Kerry (1996). Number 321. 
  • Finola Finlay, The rock art of Cork and Kerry. Unpublished MA thesis (1973).

This large area of rock outcrop (measuring 5.1m x 3.4m) is one of many rock art sites in the Derrynablaha area. It overlooks the Kealduff River valley and Lough Brin to the north-east.

IMG 7510 LR Derrynablaha Derreeny (321) rock art

The large, flat boulder has about 31 cupmarks: “Shallow cupmarks, a few of which feature radial grooves, dominate the carvings, and the presence of extensive pitting may partly be the result of weathering. Five individual cupmarks form a circular arrangement around a central one.” (Finlay, 1973).

IMG 7506 LR Derrynablaha Derreeny (321) rock art
IMG 7507 LR Derrynablaha Derreeny (321) rock art

There are four cup-and-ring motifs, two with incomplete rings, with a small cup-and-circle being the only motif present on the irregular east side.

IMG 7519 LR Derrynablaha Derreeny (321) rock art

Getting to the Derreeny (321) boulder

The boulder is only about 50m ftom the road in an upland heath pasture on the steep portion of a north-east-facing slope at 51.92972, -9.79347.

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to Hiking the World, and receive notifications of new posts by email. (A hike is added every 1-2 weeks, on average.)

Join 650 other subscribers

0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Aboriginal Sites by National Park

Aboriginal Rock Art – Maroota and Marramarra NP
Located to the north-west of Sydney, just south of the Dharug and Yengo National Parks, Maroota has a high concentration of (known) Aboriginal sites. Many more Aboriginal heritage sites are located in the Marramarra National Park. The original inhabitants of the area were the Darug people.
Aboriginal Rock Art – Yengo National Park
Yengo National Park was an important spiritual and cultural place for the Darkinjung and Wonnarua People for thousands of years, and 640 Aboriginal cultural sites are recorded in the park and nearby areas.
Aboriginal Rock Art – Lane Cove
Over 40 sites have been recorded within the park; many were located along the river bank and were flooded by the building of the weir in 1938.