A FERMANAGH man is on a mission to uncover the “prehistoric story” in the county dating back thousands of years.

George Elliott, a spokesperson for a local group, Lesser Spotted Anorak – that was set up to acknowledge, promote and develop an understanding of ancient history in Fermanagh – believes there is untapped potential in ancient sites and is on the lookout for as of yet undiscovered treasures, such as the rock art he came upon at the start of the year.

“This January when I was rambling in Tully forest through the wider Sliabh Beagh area, it was cold, about a -12C wind chill, so you could say not many about,” recalled George.

“On a little path leading towards a lone tree on upper peatland sits an outcrop of rock. I noticed on a boulder, pecked out thousands of years ago, rock art of two cup and ring motifs and as yet an unexplained mark which sits below.

“Like two eyes, they look across Tully forest and the landscape towards Carnmore, a big burial cairn. A coincidence? I don’t think so.

“This cairn has views that take in the other sacred landscapes in Fermanagh, such as Topped mountain, Knockninny Hill, Belmore and of course, Cuilcagh with its Bronze Age cairn.”

George says such marks are a statement to everyone of Fermanagh’s ancient past and the people who inhabited the county.

“In Irish mythology, it is believed that Carnmore may have been the burial place of the Biblical figure Bith, the fourth son of Noah, the first person to arrive into Ireland.

“Indeed, Sliabh Beagh is a half-Anglicised word from ‘Sliabh Beatha’.”

Cup and ring motifs

George explained the cup and ring motifs are not uncommon in Ireland, but what they mean has intrigued people for millennia.

“They are also notoriously hard to date, but are generally thought to be Neolithic, and from into the Bronze age.

“Over the past year, I have been lucky enough to add to our prehistoric story with the discovery not far from here in the townland of Eshbralley of a standing stone and two stones, which complete a stone circle.”

Also near Mullyknock cairn at Killee, George discovered two stones that add to the stone circle on a small hilltop.

“I also believe I may have noticed very interesting features close to Benaughlin at Beihy and Greenan.

“These earlier finds, which have been recorded and verified by [the Department for Communities’s]Historic Environment Division, only cements my opinion that Fermanagh has still to give up all of its rich prehistoric past.”

Fermanagh, George said, has a rich and varied history, from Plantation castles, Medieval Gaelic chieftains, early monastic sites on Lough Erne, and even the plundering Norsemen.

“But reach deeper into the psyche of the county, and a prehistoric story unfolds. From islands with Mesolithic knapping, Neolithic funerary tombs, Bronze Age cairns to an Iron Age inland promontory fort and, of course, rock art.

“This is a story that deserves to be recognised and promoted better by all of us who are fortunate to live in this sacred landscape so unique on this island,” George added.