These prehistoric monuments, which would have been erected thousands of years ago, occupied a prime spot on the north-facing slope of a hill; land that was clearly valued for its agricultural quality. Whilst many of Ireland’s standing stones have survived the centuries, these particular examples have fallen victim to progress, with buildings now covering the site where they once stood.

The stones left so little trace that when the Ordnance Survey created their detailed 6-inch maps in the 19th century, they didn’t even bother to mark them. This absence from the historical record makes their loss all the more poignant, as we have no visual documentation of what they looked like or their exact positioning. What we do know comes from the Archaeological Survey of County Donegal, compiled in 1983, which catalogued the county’s archaeological heritage from the Mesolithic period through to the 17th century.

Standing stones are amongst Ireland’s most enigmatic prehistoric monuments, and their purpose remains debated by archaeologists. They may have served as territorial markers, astronomical alignments, or held ritual significance for the communities that erected them. The Carnowen stones, now lost beneath concrete and mortar, remind us that not all ancient monuments survive into the modern era; sometimes progress claims these silent witnesses to our prehistoric past.