A rectangular standing stone of pinkish granite emerged from the edge of the dunes, standing 1.75 metres tall and tapering from a base measuring 0.55 metres on its northern broad side and 0.28 metres on its narrower southern face. The monolith narrows towards its top, reaching dimensions of roughly 0.5 metres by 0.2 metres, and is surrounded at its base by a collection of loose local schist stones that may have once formed part of a supporting structure.

The stone’s discovery offered only a brief window for archaeological study. When first documented, observers noted a horizontal crack running along the seaward southern face, though this fissure didn’t appear on the northern side that faced into the dunes. This structural weakness would prove significant; by May 2013, just over a year after its initial exposure, the ancient monument had toppled and split in two along that very crack, according to local archaeologist P. Harvey who inspected the site.

This fleeting appearance and subsequent destruction of the Ballinreavy standing stone serves as a reminder of how coastal erosion and changing weather patterns continue to both reveal and threaten Ireland’s archaeological heritage. Similar to the standing stone at Magheramore, also in County Donegal, these prehistoric monuments offer tantalising glimpses into Ireland’s distant past, even as natural forces work to reclaim them. The original documentation of this site, compiled by Paul Walsh in May 2013, now serves as the primary record of a monument that stood for potentially thousands of years before its brief rediscovery and ultimate demise.