Archaeology

Rock Art

Most of our followers will know of Finola’s involvement with Irish ‘Rock Art’; and that has nothing to do with the Beatles or Bill Hayley (remember him?)…

Rock Art at Derrynablaha – Robert’s ‘modern’ interpretation based on Finola’s 1973 survey

Finola’s interest in Rock Art dates from her time at the University of Cork in the 1970s, when she studied Archaeology and wrote her thesis on Neolithic and Bronze Age petroglyphs in Cork and Kerry: that is still a standard work on the subject, although since those days the number of known examples throughout Ireland has increased significantly. The closest pieces to us here in Ard Glas are up in the hills north of Ballydehob, in the townland of Ballybane West. One is on a very large, flat piece of rock outcrop, about 30 metres long by 10 metres wide: Finola had surveyed it back in 1973. We often tramp up there, perhaps hoping to see some hitherto undiscovered markings – or even to find enlightenment through contact with the rock as to why it is there and what it might mean. But – so far – we have always returned none the wiser.

Motifs from Ballybane West. They are best seen in low sun – as here: at other times they can be virtually invisible

Rock Artist Finola and her ‘new’ piece…

These petroglyphs are certainly enigmatic. Mainly, they are ‘cup marks’ (circular depressions in the rock) often, but not always, surrounded by a ring or rings – although various other shapes have also been found. It’s amazing that they continue to survive as most are on exposed sites, constantly battered by the West Cork weather – but they do. Yesterday we went to have a look at a recently discovered piece, near Schull. It is in the garden of a private house and is almost completely hidden by encroaching moss and undergrowth. With permission we pulled back some of the moss and had an initial look: it’s a good example, with deeply incised cup and ring marks. Finola found in her researches that Rock Art sites often have views of the sea and of mountains – as does this one in the Schull garden (and those at Ballybane West). It is, therefore, possible that they have a geographical purpose; there is no way of knowing, unless we are ever fortunate enough to slip through a time warp and meet up with one of the original artists (who speaks English). I am always hopeful of this, and will let you know – somehow – if it happens….

Re-Engaging

Typical cup-and-circle motifs

This week we are writing about the same topic – each from our own perspective.

One of our reasons for choosing this area to live was for me to re-engage with Irish rock art. I am incredibly lucky in that this is a subject that Robert, an architect by profession, finds as interesting as I do, so it has become a joint project.  As background, in 1973 I completed a Master’s thesis at University College Cork on the ‘Rock Art of Cork and Kerry’. I was 23, and I conducted my field work for two summers on a Honda 50 motorcycle belonging to my brother, Hugo.

What IS rock art? Glad you asked!

Can you see the carvings?

About 5000 years ago, Ireland was populated by early farmers. This era was known as the Neolithic (new stone age) period, and it was characterised by the emergence of a settled, or partially settled, way of life growing crops and herding animals. No longer nomadic and with a secure food source, Neolithic people developed a stratified society in which a noble or priestly class was able to commandeer the labour of large numbers of people to build great stone monuments featuring intricate carvings and often oriented to celestial occasions such as a solstice sunrise. Another tradition arose of carving on rocks – boulders or outcrops – not associated with monuments and with a different set of motifs. This tradition of rock art stretched along the Atlantic Coast, from Spain to Norway, with many fine examples in Ireland. When I undertook my research in the early 70s, it was thought that most Irish rock art was concentrated in Cork and Kerry (the two most south-westerly counties) but since then there have been major finds in Wicklow, Carlow, Louth, Donegal and elsewhere.

So how, 40 years later, does one ‘re-engage’ with this fascinating topic? Well first, we’ve a lot of reading to do, to catch up with the state of current knowledge. Second, we need to re-visit the sites I recorded in the 70’s, as well as those discovered since then. Third, we have to connect with the Archaeologists at UCC to discuss the nature of our project. All of these steps are under way, and we will be charting our progress occasionally through this blog.

The same rock as recorded by Finola in 1973