These wooden stakes are the remains of a riverine revetment, a structure used to reinforce and stabilise a riverbank, preventing erosion and controlling the flow of water along the channel edge. Such features were common engineering solutions in earlier centuries, yet they rarely survive in a condition that can be archaeologically assessed, making this cluster of pilings an unusually legible trace of past river management.

The site came to light in 2005, when archaeologist Rex Bangerter carried out a Riverine Archaeological Assessment on behalf of Irish Archaeological Consultancy. The work was prompted by the proposed Limerick Southern Ring Road, Phase II, a major infrastructure project that required pre-disturbance assessments along affected waterways. Bangerter examined a 300-metre stretch of the Ballynaclogh River, designated Area UA2, as well as conducting a separate archaeological assessment of Ballinacurra Bridge itself. During that survey, the series of timber pilings was located approximately 75 metres downstream of the bridge, and the site was recorded as Site 1 in the assessment. The findings were subsequently published in the excavations.ie record for 2005, entry number 957.

The site itself is not one that announces itself to visitors. It lies some 75 metres to the southwest of Ballinacurra Bridge, which carries its own heritage record under the reference LI013-012. The pilings are submerged or semi-submerged features, so any visibility will depend heavily on water levels and season; dry late-summer conditions would offer the best chance of observing anything at the waterline. Anyone with an interest in the archaeology of river engineering or in the infrastructure history of the Limerick region may find the broader stretch of the Ballynaclogh River worth exploring on foot, keeping Ballinacurra Bridge as a useful orientation point.