What is recorded here

Boyle Somerville wrote in 1909 that half a circle of very large stones stood beside a holy well in Ráith, yet later seekers found nothing but forest and hidden ground. The stones may still wait beneath ferns and soil, keeping a shape that human feet have stopped remembering. What is lost is not disappearance but patience, waiting for someone to walk the glen without a map and listen for the weight of old hands in the earth.

In the vicinity of a holy well, Boyle Somerville (1909, 228-9) noted a number of 'megalithic and other prehistoric remains'. These included 'three small stone earns' a large rounded mound, 'half of the circumference of a circle of very large stones', and, on a nearby hill, 'what look like the remains of a stone circle'. None of these features could be found but some may remain concealed as part of the area is forested. The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated. Date of upload: 22 September 2008

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