What is recorded here

Four stones stand in a straight line at the foot of Musheramore Mountain, their heights climbing from seventy-five to one hundred and fifteen centimetres as they stretch southwest across the pasture. A fifth stone vanished before 1933, leaving a gap that suggests the row once reached further into the hillshade. People may have walked this line to mark seasonal change or simply to remember that the mountain watched back.

On level patch of ground, in sloping pasture at NE foot of Musheramore Mountain. OS Name Books (1841) record '5 standing stones 21/2 to 4 feet high (c. 0.75m to c. 1.2m) and placed in a straight line of 30 links (c. 6m) in length'. Row of four stones is present, aligned ENE-WSW, 5.2m in overall length. NE stone is 0.6m L, 0.2m T and 0.75m H. Next stone, 0.35m to SW, is 0.65m L, 0.3m T and 0.95m H. Third stone, 1.25m further to SW, is 0.9m L,0.3m T and 0.95m H. SW and tallest stone, 0.45m from last, is 0.9m L, 0.55mT and 1.15m H. OS Memoranda (1933) record low stone (H c. 0.3m) c. 2.4m to N of third stone; no visible trace survives. (O Nualláin 1988, 231, no. 8) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 3: Mid Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009 This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 168/1941).

Likely dating to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age, the stone arrangement may have had ceremonial or astronomical significance. Its linear rather than circular form is unusual and may reflect a specific local tradition or function, possibly related to waymarking or ritual practice.

This remains an important historical record, but the official description says the monument is no longer visible or has been destroyed. The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.