That hollow is what makes it archaeologically significant. Bullaun stones, found throughout Ireland, are boulders or slabs bearing one or more cup-shaped depressions, almost certainly ground out by human hands over long periods. Their precise purpose remains debated, but they are commonly associated with early ecclesiastical sites, and the water that collects in their basins was traditionally held to have curative or protective properties.

This particular example is modest in scale, measuring roughly 58 centimetres by 40 centimetres, standing just 16 centimetres high, with a hollow only about 5 centimetres deep. What complicates the picture is that by the time the researcher Durell visited in 1996 and recorded observations in print, the stone could not be found in its recorded location. It had been moved, though to where exactly is not documented. The original description placing it near the church was drawn from the Archaeological Inventory of County Cork, published in 1992, but the stone's subsequent disappearance from its noted position means its current whereabouts remain uncertain.