The scatter measures roughly four metres long and two metres wide, and mixed into it is iron slag, a detail that sets this site slightly apart from the more typical fulacht fia found just twenty metres downslope.

A fulacht fia, sometimes called a burnt mound, is one of the most frequently recorded monument types in Ireland. The basic form is simple: a mound of fire-cracked stones, usually horseshoe-shaped, accumulated beside a trough that was repeatedly filled with water and heated by dropping in stones from a fire. They date most commonly to the Bronze Age, though some continued in use later, and their precise purpose has long been debated, with cooking, bathing, and textile processing all proposed. What makes the Coolcoulaghta example worth noting is the presence of iron slag alongside the burnt stone. Iron-working is a later technology than the classic Bronze Age fulacht, and its appearance here suggests either a separate phase of activity on the same spot or a more complex use of the area across different periods. The site sits south of a ringfort, a type of enclosed farmstead typical of early medieval Ireland, roughly between the fifth and twelfth centuries, which adds another layer to a landscape that was clearly in use across a considerable span of time. The proximity of two fulachta fiadh within twenty metres of each other is itself unusual, and raises questions about whether they represent repeated return to a favoured location or distinct episodes of occupation.