What is recorded here

Standing stone in Ballygowan (reade) stands on a west-facing pasture slope with Slievenamon Mountain visible through the valley. A bull knocked it over around 2014, the landowner raised it again, and cattle have since worn a hollow around its base while using it as a scratching post. The stone is small, near a ritual pond, another standing stone and a ring-barrow, yet it still points toward the mountain like a marker forgotten by everyone except the animals.

On a W-facing slope, in pasture. There are very good views to from SSW-W of Slievenamon Mountain and panoramic views from NW-NNE. The view from NE-SSW is impeded by surrounding hills slopes. A ritual pond (KK031-111----) is located c. 320m to the WSW and another standing stone (KK031-112----) is located c. 470m to the W. There is a ring-barrow (KK035-007----) c. 880m to the SE. A roughly rectangular standing stone (0.55m x 0.18m; H 1.25m) orientated N-S. According to the landowner the stone was knocked over by a bull c. 10 years ago (c. 2014) and re-erected by the landowner in the exact position it had been previously. Only c. 0.1m of the stone had been embedded in the ground before it was knocked over. There is a hollow depression around the base of the standing stone where it has been trampled by cattle, using the stone as a scratching post. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Probably dating to the Late Neolithic or Bronze Age, this standing stone may have had ritual or ceremonial significance, possibly linked to the nearby ritual pond and the strategic, long-distance views towards Slievenamon Mountain. Such stones were often used in prehistoric landscapes for astronomical observations, territorial markers, or spiritual practices.

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