Standing stone, Coolcholly, Co. Donegal
In the pastoral landscape of Coolcholly, County Donegal, two weathered standing stones mark the hillside like ancient sentinels.
Standing stone, Coolcholly, Co. Donegal
The first stone measures 0.61 metres in height and 0.7 metres wide, oriented along a northwest to southeast axis. Just over 28 metres to the northeast, its companion stone stands at a similar scale; 0.65 metres tall and roughly 0.7 metres wide, sharing the same directional alignment.
These modest monoliths occupy a ridge that runs northeast to southwest through good grazing land, their placement suggesting they may have once served a practical rather than ceremonial purpose. Archaeological surveys indicate they could be remnants of an old field boundary, perhaps marking property divisions or livestock enclosures that have long since disappeared from the landscape. Their parallel orientation and regular spacing support this theory, though without excavation it remains speculation.
The stones were documented as part of the comprehensive Archaeological Survey of County Donegal, conducted in 1983 by Brian Lacey and his team of researchers. This survey catalogued field antiquities across the county spanning from the Mesolithic period through to the 17th century, providing valuable insights into how the landscape has been shaped and reshaped by human activity over millennia. Whether these particular stones date back centuries or represent more recent agricultural history, they stand as tangible links to the generations who worked this land before us.





