This carved stone, documented by researcher Van Hoek in 1988, features a single, clearly defined cup mark etched into a large rock outcrop. The stone’s position in the landscape is quite specific; it lies east of another standing stone (catalogued as standing stone XX) and north of a small stream that meanders through the area.

Cup marks like this one are amongst the most common forms of prehistoric rock art found across Ireland and Britain, typically dating from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age periods (roughly 4000 to 1000 BCE). These circular depressions, usually between 2 and 10 centimetres in diameter, were carefully pecked into stone surfaces using harder stones as tools. While their exact purpose remains a mystery, archaeologists suggest they may have served ritual, territorial, or astronomical functions within ancient communities.

The Carrowreagh example, though featuring just a single cup mark, forms part of a broader archaeological landscape in Donegal that includes numerous examples of rock art, standing stones, and other prehistoric monuments. The careful recording of such sites, as compiled by Caimin O’Brien in 2010, helps preserve knowledge of these ancient markings that might otherwise be overlooked or forgotten. For visitors interested in Ireland’s deep history, these seemingly simple marks on stone represent a tangible connection to the people who shaped this landscape thousands of years ago.