Where: The Boheh Stone.
When: April 18, 2025, Good Friday
Time: 20:15 - 20:45. Sunset is 20:46
I have checked the calendar every year since finding Pookeen's cache https://coord.info/GC3PD8M. This year 18 April falls on Good Friday so fingers crossed we will get to see the sun rolling down the side of Croagh Patrick.
A flashlight would be recommended once the sun has set.
The Boheh Stone which is almost totally covered in rock carvings, consisting primarily of cupmarks, enclosed by one or more concentric circles and also several other patterns known as keyhole motifs. It is the only known example of this type of Neolithic rock carving in Connaught. It is also one of the finest examples of this type of rock art in Ireland or Britain & is believed to date to the early Bronze Age period (4000 – 2000BC) during which the better-known carvings at New Grange, Dowth and Knowth in Co. Meath were inscribed.
Mr. Gerry Bracken a local historian discovered in 1991 an event which subsequently became known as ‘The Rolling Sun’.
When standing at or near the rock, he observed the sun at dusk appearing to set on the summit of Croagh Patrick and then proceed to roll down the northern slope of the mountain all the way to the bottom.
This occurrence happens twice annually, at sunset on April 18th & August 24th, which divides the year equally into three parts. These dates would have corresponded with the sowing and harvesting of crops and appears to be the reason chosen by Neolithic farmers to cover this rock in petroglyphs. the carvings are for the most part faint & difficult to see under most lighting conditions.