Loughnashee Rock Art

Newgrange Entrance Stone
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Newgrange_entrance_stone.jpg

Rock art at times may be referred to as petroglyphs or Galicia art.  They are defined as carvings on exposed rock surfaces or on outcrops.  Occasionally they are associated with various burial monuments or stone circles.  A Neolithic date for their carving is suggested as a basis of comparisons with a rich repertoire of passage tombs. [i]

Lougnashee Rock Art is located on the west north west facing slope of a low ridge on Drumcoggy Mountain. It is four kilometres north west of Tourmakeady village in County Mayo.  The ridge forms the south east edge of a blanket bog-filled basin that represents the highest part of a north east-south west mountain pass that extends diagonally across the mountain.  This site was discovered by quaternary geologist Colm Jordan during 1995.  The rock is located at the lowest level of the ridge.  Analysis of the landscape of the Drumcoggy mountain site portrays that this rock art may form an intrinsic part of sacred natural landscape on the mountain top. (Nat grid ref 10752 / 27122 )  [ii]

The area where the rock art is located is on Drumcoggy mountain is in the electrical division of Cappaghduff within the civil parish of Ballyvoy, in the barony of Carra in County Mayo. The Mountain’s Irish name is ‘Droim Chagaigh.’  The site is located at 53° 40′ 37″ N, 9° 23′ 21″ W.  [iii]

Footnotes

An article that referred to Drumcoggy Mountain was published in the Galway Archaeological & Historical Society Journal 1992 vol 5 (pages 43-64 )

This mountain is referenced on Logainm: https://www.logainm.ie/en/34825

Footnotes

[i] Drumcoggy Mountain (https://www.jstor.org/stable/25535698 ) [Assessed 23rd  May 2020]

[ii] Ibid

[iii] Drumcoggy Mountain Townland (https://www.townlands.ie/mayo/) [Assessed 23rd  May 2020]

 

Comments about this page

  • the coordinates given here appear to be ESE facing slopes and at a substantial distance from Lachan Si. I have looked for this rock art before using the coordinates on the Archaeological Survey, without success.

    According to this site the Rock Art of Drumcoggy Mountain is located at 53° 40′ 37″ N, 9° 23′ 21″ W.
    https://www.townlands.ie/mayo/carra/ballyovey/cappaghduff/drumcoggy-mountain/

    By Aoibheann Lambe (10/10/2021)

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.