A rare example of ritual Bronze Age monuments has been discovered on Oileán Acla in Co Mayo.
The stone alignment had been hidden by ancient trees which were flattened by Storm Éowyn earlier this year.
The discovery was made during an archaeological field trip with US students from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
It is part of their semester at the University of Galway and Kylemore Abbey.
Watch: Archaeologist Michael Gibbons and US students talk about the monuments' discovery
This week, a new group arrived from Notre Dame and they came to see the site of the Bronze Age discovery with archaeologist Michael Gibbons.
"The site in question is a stunning Bronze Age stone alignment in Cloghmore townland, overlooking Achill Sound opposite the mountains of the Corraun Peninsula. The site consists of two upright standing stones with a third lying collapsed close by. The largest of the stones is more than 2.4 m in height and may even have given its name to the townland, An Cloch Mór - the big stone," he said.
There is a wealth of prehistoric monuments and forts on Oileán Acla but the Cloghmore site is a rare example of a Bronze Age ritual monument on the island.
Michael laughs heartily and says the storm was destructive and revealing in equal measure because it unearthed such a significant find.
"While only a few have been excavated, stone alignments have been known to mark burial locations - with three-thousand-year-old cremation burials contained within pottery vessels buried beneath the stones. The site is aligned North-South and may have an astronomical significance," he added.
Seán Ó Coisdealbha is a poet and historian from An Spidéal in Co Galway.
Together with Michael Gibbons, he has uncovered significant historical artefacts and sites in Conamara and on Oileán Acla.
"We're right beside Kildavnet here which would have been a monastic settlement in medieval times. We're near Kildavnet Castle which is known as Grainne Mhaol's Tower here in O'Malley heartland. So, the significance of An Chloch Mhór, which basically is two huge standing stones, and one fallen, is that we are back to prehistoric times, and we're back to an age of early farming. Neolithic times, where woman and man, ancient people, left something behind, a territorial mark, a territorial stone, a boundary stone. This could be an ancient portal where people moved from one existence to another."
Most of the visiting students have never been to Ireland before and they took a keen interest in the history behind this ancient landscape.
Andrea Jasso, from Brownsville, Texas, said: "I'm studying here at the University of Galway, and it's been breathtaking, like being able to come over here and see the rich history and hear the stories that the land has to tell has been such an amazing experience.
"Nature holds so much storytelling and history and to be able to partake in that is amazing," she added.
Blake Bluthardt, from Detroit in Michigan, said it is his first time in Ireland.
"It's really exciting and it's a lot different from back home, Detroit. I like the nature scene of it. We don't have anything like this in Detroit. I love the greenery here, and all the ruins are really spectacular to look at," he added.
Penelope Carlin, from Austin, Texas, said: "I was drawn here because of the hikes and the nature and the ruins, because there aren't that many ruins in Texas.
"So, seeing all this ancient, medieval land and the castle is relatively new to me. I was super excited to expand my learning and go different places and see different things, like where people lived and their culture. And immersing myself in culture makes me a well-rounded human being."
Oileán Acla has a wealth of prehistoric monuments and forts but this Bronze Age overlooking Clew Bay is one of the most significant.
