Standing stone, Magheracar, Co. Donegal

Co. Donegal |

Stone Monuments

Standing stone, Magheracar, Co. Donegal

In the townland of Magheracar, near Bundoran on the Donegal-Leitrim border, lies a fallen standing stone that once formed part of an ancient megalithic complex.

The stone now rests on its side, with the packing stones that originally held it upright still visible around its base. This toppled monument sits close to a broader archaeological landscape that includes both a passage tomb and a wedge tomb, suggesting this area held significant ritual importance for prehistoric communities.

Archaeological excavations in 1997 and 2001 revealed fascinating glimpses into thousands of years of human activity at this site. Whilst initial testing found little, more extensive work uncovered a large stone-lined corn-drying kiln with two flues, one stretching an impressive 13 metres. Near the kiln, archaeologists discovered a small pit containing charcoal-stained soil and fragments of what appears to be decorated Neolithic pottery from at least four different vessels. The site also yielded an extraordinary find: a completely intact collared urn, still upright and filled with cremated remains, which was carefully removed in a block of soil for laboratory excavation.

Perhaps most intriguing was the discovery of a semicircular stone platform, roughly 6 metres wide, comprising three concentric rings of flat stone slabs set within a low earth and stone mound. The northern half of this feature had been removed in antiquity, leaving only traces of its original form. Small blue glass beads and pieces of struck chert found within suggest a Bronze or Iron Age date, though its exact purpose remains a mystery. Scattered finds across the site, including a hollow-based limestone arrowhead, a stone axe, and various pieces of worked flint and chert, paint a picture of a landscape that drew people back repeatedly across millennia, from the Neolithic period through to the Iron Age and beyond.

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