Located just south of a fence line and approximately five metres from another archaeological feature known as DON 8, this ancient cupmark represents one of many scattered examples of rock art found throughout Ireland. The site was documented by researcher Van Hoek in 1988, who noted its unassuming yet significant presence in the landscape.

Cupmarks, simple circular depressions carved into stone surfaces, are amongst the most common forms of prehistoric rock art in Ireland and Britain. These mysterious markings, typically dating from the Neolithic to Bronze Age periods, were created by repeatedly pecking at the rock surface with stone tools. Whilst their exact purpose remains debated amongst archaeologists, theories range from territorial markers to astronomical observations, ritual sites, or even primitive maps.

This particular example at Carrowreagh forms part of a broader concentration of rock art sites in County Donegal, an area particularly rich in prehistoric monuments. The region’s abundance of suitable rock surfaces, combined with its position along ancient travel and trade routes, likely contributed to its importance as a canvas for our ancestors’ symbolic expressions. Though easily overlooked by casual visitors, these simple cupmarks offer a tangible connection to the people who inhabited this landscape thousands of years ago, leaving their mark in the most literal sense.