Measuring just 0.6 metres long and 0.5 metres wide, it is defined by upright slabs set along its north-western and south-western sides, and a flat slab lying nearby may once have served as its capstone, shifted from its original position at some point in the intervening centuries. A cist of this kind is a prehistoric burial form, essentially a small stone box assembled from thin slabs to receive the remains of one individual, often accompanied by a ceramic vessel or simple grave goods, and sealed with a covering stone. What makes this one quietly compelling is its setting inside an existing ring-cairn, a circular mound of stones with a kerbed perimeter, suggesting the site accumulated significance across more than one period of use.

The relationship between the cist and the ring-cairn it sits within is not fully resolved. Whether the grave was inserted into an already-ancient monument, or whether both features belong to roughly the same period of activity, remains uncertain. What can be said is that Cnoc Raithní, like many elevated points across the west of Ireland, preserves traces of a landscape that was shaped and re-shaped by communities living there long before the historical record begins. The possible displacement of the capstone, noted by P. Gosling in 2013, hints at disturbance over time, though whether that came from deliberate interference, agricultural activity, or simple weathering is not recorded.