Eire 91
Image by bawn79

The Derrynablaha panels line the valley floor and the western slopes. The most popular type of surface chosen seems to be raised sloping surfaces. I will correct my previous statement - the panels mainly slope steeply and face east or gently and face west. The west facing ones are on the upper slopes, so that when you look at the carved surface you see this ...

http://www.megalithomania.com/show/image/7384
http://www.megalithomania.com/show/image/4977 (through the mist)
http://www.megalithomania.com/show/image/4946

The valley floor ones are split between being beside streams and not, but older watrecourses may have passed them before the peat rose. They all have a view to the mountain pass - http://www.megalithomania.com/show/image/7378 , but not all can see the lake. There are several places in the valley where the pass isn't visible and the RA stops short of these places.

This valley needs someone to spend a year down there watching that mountain pass from the panels. If it wasn't in the arse end of nowhere I'd do it. I'd love to see what happens to the surface of that lough when the equinox sun rises through the valley.

Cheers guys, really does sound a fascinating place and looks an absolutely stunning setting to boot. Wherever you find Galician / CnR type carvings there’s always a few characteristics binding them together (apart from the design element) and it’s hard not linking the positions of these things to something prominent in the landscape, be it a mountain, river, valley etc.

Looking at the photos, you can certainly see why the mountain & pass may have drawn their attention, in a similar way the Cheviot grabbed hold of the carvers in Northumberland.