The Ordnance Survey’s second edition six-inch maps from the late 19th century recorded two standing stones at this location, but today only one remains. This survivor measures an impressive 1.75 metres tall and spans a metre wide at its base, with a thickness of 0.4 metres. The stone is oriented along a north-northeast to south-southwest axis, rising from good pasture land that has likely been grazed for centuries.

The monument’s base tells a story of both ancient construction and ongoing preservation efforts. At least six large buttressing stones now lie flat around its foundation, placed there to help stabilise this prehistoric marker. These support stones suggest that local people or heritage workers have intervened over the years to prevent the monolith from toppling, a common fate for many of Ireland’s standing stones as ground conditions change and livestock rub against them.

Standing stones like this one at Leaght are amongst Ireland’s most enigmatic prehistoric monuments. Dating from the Bronze Age through to the Iron Age, they may have served various purposes; territorial markers, astronomical alignments, or ritual sites. The fact that this stone originally stood as part of a pair adds another layer of mystery, as paired stones often marked significant boundaries or formed part of larger ceremonial landscapes. The loss of its partner stone, sometime between the Victorian mapping surveys and today, represents yet another piece of Ireland’s archaeological heritage that has slipped away, leaving us to wonder about the original significance of this ancient site.