It measures just 0.56 metres by 0.48 metres at the base and stands only 0.73 metres tall, and yet its near-square cross-section and deliberate north-east to south-west orientation mark it out as something placed with intention rather than chance. It leans slightly to the south now, the slow result of centuries of ground movement and weather, but it has not fallen.

Standing stones of this kind are among the most common and least understood prehistoric monuments in Ireland. Erected broadly during the Bronze Age, they survive in their thousands across the country, sometimes alone, sometimes in pairs or alignments, and their original purpose remains genuinely uncertain. Theories range from territorial markers to sites of ritual significance to astronomically aligned monuments, and the orientation of this particular stone, running north-east to south-west, fits a pattern seen in many others across Munster. What sets this one apart is its modest scale. Many standing stones are imposing by any measure, but this example at Arduslough is almost understated, a quiet presence in a working field rather than a landscape landmark.