This loose boulder sits atop a low earthen wall on the same ridge as its neighbour, with a steep rocky outcrop falling away to the south. The stone itself has shifted over the millennia and now slopes at an angle of 21 degrees southward, giving it a distinctive tilted appearance against the landscape.

The boulder’s surface bears the marks of ancient artisans who carved circular depressions known as cup marks into the stone, possibly during the Neolithic or Bronze Age periods. Two large single cups catch the eye first; simple hollows that were painstakingly pecked into the rock face thousands of years ago. More intriguing still is a third cup mark that features a complete ring carved around it, creating what archaeologists call a ‘cup and ring’ motif. These designs appear throughout Ireland, Scotland, and northern England, though their exact purpose remains one of prehistory’s enduring mysteries.

First documented by researcher Van Hoek in 1988, this carved stone forms part of a wider complex of rock art sites scattered across the Donegal landscape. Whether these markings served ritual purposes, acted as territorial markers, or held astronomical significance continues to spark debate among archaeologists. What’s certain is that someone chose this particular boulder, on this specific ridge, to leave their mark in stone; a message from the distant past that still draws the curious to this quiet corner of Ireland.