This standing stone doesn’t appear on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, yet mysteriously shows up on the second edition without any title or explanation. Its absence from early mapping suggests it may have been overlooked initially, or perhaps it held little significance to Victorian surveyors more concerned with boundaries and settlements than ancient monuments.

The stone itself sits in challenging terrain; boggy grassland that makes approaching it a muddy affair, particularly after the frequent Donegal rains. This isolation has likely protected it from interference over the centuries, though it also means few visitors make the trek to see it. The wet conditions of the site are typical of this part of Ireland, where the Atlantic weather systems sweep in regularly, keeping the landscape perpetually damp and green.

What we know about this monument comes largely from the comprehensive Archaeological Survey of County Donegal, compiled by Brian Lacey and his team in 1983. Their work documented field antiquities spanning from the Mesolithic period right through to the 17th century, creating an invaluable record of the county’s archaeological heritage. Standing stones like this one are notoriously difficult to date without excavation, but they’re generally associated with Bronze Age communities who erected them for reasons that remain largely mysterious; markers for burial sites, territorial boundaries, or astronomical observations are all possibilities that archaeologists continue to debate.