The fragment, measuring just 22 centimetres high, came to light not through chance but during a controlled archaeological excavation in 1995, when conservation work at Ballynoe church in County Cork uncovered it within the chancel, the eastern section of a church traditionally reserved for the clergy and the altar.

Despite its small dimensions and considerable weathering, the carving retains enough detail to be legible. One face carries a plain flat moulding framing what appears to be a robed figure, most likely a representation of Christ. Part of the head survives, along with an outstretched arm and a section of the torso; a visible sleeve end confirms the figure was depicted clothed. The reverse face is plain except for a simple chamfer, a narrow angled cut along its outer edge. The cross itself was unringed, meaning it lacked the circular halo of stone that characterises the more familiar Irish high cross form, and its angles are rounded rather than sharp. On stylistic grounds it has been dated to no later than the mid-twelfth century, placing it in a period of active church building and reform across Ireland. The excavation that recovered it was part of a phased conservation programme carried out by Cork County Council, and the fragment is now held in the National Museum of Ireland.