The one at Fieries, in the lowlands of County Kerry, is a quiet example of a type so widespread it has become almost invisible, passed daily by people who would not give the low, horseshoe-shaped mound a second glance. The term fulacht fia, sometimes translated loosely as "cooking place of the deer," refers to ancient outdoor cooking sites, typically dated to the Bronze Age, though some were in use as late as the early medieval period.

The mechanics of these sites are reasonably well understood. A trough, usually dug into the ground and sometimes timber-lined, was filled with water. Stones were heated in a nearby fire and then dropped into the water to bring it to the boil, and the shattered, fire-cracked fragments were discarded to one side, gradually building up the distinctive mound that survives in the landscape today. Excavations at fulachtaí fia across Ireland have shown that this method can boil water efficiently and sustain cooking temperatures for considerable periods. What exactly was being cooked, and in what social context, remains a matter of some debate; brewing, textile processing, and bathing have all been proposed as alternative or additional uses. The Fieries example sits within a part of Kerry that has long been settled, the surrounding area containing traces of activity reaching back through many periods of prehistory.