Standing stone in Butterhill

Located at what was a N-facing slope overlooking the valley of the River Liffey before it was flooded and turned into the Pollaphuca reservoir. The standing stone is just on the NW side (by c. 1-2m) of a relict field bank extending off to the NE and visible now as the stumps of bushes. This field bank is marked on the Cassini OS map. The standing stone is on a point jutting out into the reservoir at the moment, and this would agree with the contours on the Cassini map suggesting it is a low spur. There is a wide view out from W-N-E and three passage tombs on top of mountains to the E are within view. The shore is very steep here and even though the standing stone is only about 3m out from firm ground a black silt has accumulated between the stone and shore. The mud makes it impossible to get near the stone but the firm ground can be felt 45cm below its surface. The visible height above the mud is 85cm and it comes to a point. The stone is probably granite and at the mud surface it has a rectangular cross-section 35cm x 25cm with the long axis aligned 290 degrees (magnetic). It has a total height above the subsoil of 1.3m. The stone leans a little to the N and its point is over the N side. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by Michael Moore Date of upload: 4 October 2018

Probably dating to the Late Neolithic or Bronze Age, the stone may have marked a boundary or had ritual significance in a landscape altered by later land use and reservoir creation. No specific folklore or detailed use is recorded for this site.