A fulacht fia is a type of prehistoric cooking or processing site, typically consisting of a horseshoe-shaped mound of fire-cracked stones and charcoal-rich soil, accumulated over repeated use of a nearby trough into which heated stones were dropped to boil water. They are among the most common archaeological monument types in Ireland, yet they remain imperfectly understood, with debate continuing over whether they were used primarily for cooking, brewing, bathing, or industrial processes such as textile working.

This particular site is the eastern of the two mounds identified during testing carried out in 2012, when Fota Wildlife Park was exploring a proposed extension to its grounds. The work was conducted under licence and documented by archaeologist Annette Quinn of Tobar Archaeological Services, whose report noted both mounds as having been only partially exposed during the testing phase. The findings were not the result of a dedicated excavation but rather an incidental discovery within a broader infrastructure assessment, which means the full extent and character of the site remains largely unknown.