These hollows, which can range from a shallow dimple to a deep cup, are found at early Christian sites and ancient sacred locations across Ireland, and their precise original purpose remains a matter of debate among archaeologists. Some were likely used for grinding or processing material; others became associated over centuries with healing, cursing, or the veneration of saints, with rainwater collecting in the basins and being treated as curative.

Bullaun stones occupy an ambiguous place in the Irish archaeological record, sitting somewhere between the functional and the ritual. Many are found near early church sites or holy wells, and some retain living folk traditions attached to them, with local patterns or rounds performed in their vicinity well into modern times. The name Kilroughil itself carries the element "kil", derived from the Irish "cill", meaning a church or monastic cell, which suggests this townland had an early ecclesiastical presence. That association between a bullaun stone and a place of early Christian activity would be entirely typical across the country.