What is recorded here

Cloighard or Loighta is a 1.65m upright stone block in Mayo pasture, named on the 1919 map but absent from the 1838 edition. Its straight sides and pyramidal top suggest human shaping, yet no record explains who placed it or why. The shoulder-like indentations on its north-west face narrow the upper portion, creating a silhouette that resembles a seated figure more than a marker. Cattle might have rubbed against its cool surface for centuries, wearing the stone into a shape that now invites mythology rather than measurement.

In pasture, located immediately adjacent to a field wall, overlooked by rising ground immediately to NW and by a ridge at N–NE. This standing stone is not shown on the 1838 OS 6-inch map; it is indicted on the 1919 edition where it is named ‘Cloighard or Loighta’. Upright straight-sided stone block (H 1.65m; Wth 0.74m; T 0.47m), rectangular in cross-section, with the long axis oriented roughly NE–SW. Slight shoulder-like indentations on the NW face narrow the width of the upper portion (H 0.5m; Wth 0.49m) of the stone. The top of the stone has a roughly pyramidal profile. Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 22 June 2021

Likely dating to the Bronze Age, this standing stone may have served a ceremonial or territorial function. Local folklore sometimes associates such stones with ancient pathways or markers for seasonal gatherings.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.