The monument consists of a circular platform approximately 22 metres in diameter, surrounded by a fosse and outer bank. Known locally as both ‘Finner Rath’ and ‘Flaherty’s Stone’, the site takes advantage of the natural hilltop, which forms much of the platform itself. Near the southwestern edge lies a recumbent stone measuring 1.25 by 0.3 metres; likely a fallen standing stone that gives the monument its distinctive name. In 1949, the archaeologist R.A.S. Macalister claimed he could make out the inscription ‘Liatach’ carved into this stone, though this reading has never been verified.

The site’s true nature has been debated amongst scholars. Whilst it bears the classic features of a ringfort, Killanin and Duignan suggested in the 1960s that it might actually be a chambered cairn, pointing to the presence of the prostrate slab within. The monument occupies good agricultural land near the coast, sitting close to sand dunes, and modern field fences now cut across parts of the site. Despite its prominent location and intriguing features, archaeological test excavations conducted in 2000 under licence number 00E0369 yielded surprisingly little; Gerry Walsh’s team dug 27 test trenches in the vicinity but found no additional archaeological features.

Today, Flaherty’s Stone remains something of an enigma, a reminder that not all ancient sites readily reveal their secrets. Whether it served as a defensive ringfort, a ritual monument, or perhaps both at different times, the site continues to intrigue visitors who make their way to this windswept hilltop overlooking the Donegal coastline.