In rough grazing land at Fornaght in mid Cork, there is a standing stone that no longer stands, and in fact leaves no visible trace at all on the surface. It is, in the most literal sense, an absence.

The stone was recorded by P. J. H. Hartnett, who noted its dimensions as 41 inches by 18 inches by 6 inches, a modest but solidly proportioned slab. Standing stones of this kind are among the most enigmatic monuments in the Irish landscape; erected singly during the Bronze Age in most cases, their original purpose remains disputed, with theories ranging from territorial markers to ritual focal points to indicators along ancient routeways. Whatever this particular stone once signified in the townland of Fornaght, it has since been removed, leaving the field it occupied with no surface evidence that anything was ever there.