That hollow, about the size of a large fist and fifteen centimetres deep, is the whole point. Stones like this, known as bullaun stones, are found across Ireland, typically in ecclesiastical or sacred settings. The hollow may have held water believed to carry healing or protective properties, and the act of turning small stones within the depression was sometimes associated with cursing or blessing rituals that persisted well into the modern era.

This particular example, known locally as St. Kieran's Stone, sits to the west of St. Kieran's Well at Lisballyard. The pairing is characteristic: bullaun stones and holy wells frequently occur together in the Irish landscape, forming small clusters of sanctity that accumulated around early medieval saints. St. Kieran is a name shared by several figures in Irish hagiography, and local dedications in Tipperary reflect how deeply these cults embedded themselves in particular townlands over centuries. The stone itself is small and irregular in shape, measuring roughly 73 centimetres in length, and its modest dimensions make it easy to overlook unless you already know what you are looking for.