Standing stone, Carnamogagh Lower, Co. Donegal

The site sits on a south-facing slope with spectacular views across the River Swilly valley, its pasture fields dotted with rocky outcrops typical of Donegal's rugged landscape. Where a flax mill and pond once stood to the north-east, marking the area's industrial past, a more modern reservoir and pump-house from the 1970s now occupy the space.

The excavation team, working under licence 02E0202, carefully documented the layers of earth as construction progressed. Beneath the topsoil lay gravelly silt studded with stones, followed by sandy boulder clay in shades of olive and yellowish brown, all resting atop the ancient schist bedrock that forms the geological foundation of this part of Ireland. Whilst the monitoring revealed no archaeological features within the construction zone itself, the team did note something intriguing at the site's north-eastern boundary.

Standing 0.8 metres tall, a rounded upright stone caught the archaeologists' attention, presenting them with an enjoyable puzzle. It could be a prehistoric standing stone, one of those enigmatic monuments our ancestors erected across the Irish landscape for reasons we can only speculate about. Alternatively, it might simply be a more recent addition; a scratching stone placed there for cattle to rub against, a common sight in Irish fields. The stone remains safe during this phase of development, though future construction plans may require decisions about its preservation and potential significance.