They indicated the shallowest part of the ford, a low-water route used by animals and vehicles for generations. The river no longer runs around them. The stones still exist, but they now sit entirely on dry land, stranded by engineering work carried out nearly a century ago.

The ford, known as Athnaneach on Ordnance Survey maps, is recorded by O'Kelly in 1944 as having been the principal crossing point over the Camoge at this location, operating just below what he describes as a primitive bridge. It remained in active use until 1930, when a modern road structure was built to replace both the old bridge and the ford itself. As part of that construction, the bed of the river was cleaned and deepened, altering the channel enough to leave the three marker stones high and dry. The name Athnaneach suggests an older Gaelic designation for the crossing, and the ford's dual function, serving both wheeled vehicles and livestock, was typical of such river crossings in rural Ireland before the expansion of the road network in the early twentieth century.

The site lies in Knockainy West, in the south of County Limerick, an area associated with the hill of Knockainy and its long local folklore. The ford itself is not a dramatic or immediately obvious feature; the interest lies in knowing what you are looking at. The three stones, now separated from the river they once marked, are easy to overlook without some foreknowledge of their original position and purpose. Anyone visiting with an interest in early road infrastructure or river crossings would do well to cross-reference the Ordnance Survey mapping, where the name Athnaneach still anchors the location, before heading out.