It measures roughly 7.8 metres along its north-north-east to south-south-west axis and 3.4 metres across, rising only 0.45 metres above the surrounding land. What makes it unusual is not its modest dimensions but its composition: it is built entirely of burnt material, the accumulated debris of prehistoric cooking activity spanning, in all likelihood, many centuries.

This is a fulacht fia, a type of Bronze Age cooking site found in considerable numbers across Ireland, particularly in low-lying or waterlogged ground. The typical arrangement involved a trough dug into the earth, filled with water, and heated by dropping fire-cracked stones into it until the water boiled. Those spent, shattered stones were then raked out and piled to the side, building up over repeated use into the characteristic horseshoe or, as here, roughly rectangular mound that archaeologists now recognise across the landscape. What makes the Meenatarriff example particularly interesting is that it does not stand alone: a second fulacht fia lies just four metres to the north-west. The pairing suggests either sustained activity in this specific spot over a long period, or perhaps two distinct episodes of use close enough in location to imply that something about this particular patch of ground, likely access to water or shelter, made it consistently attractive to people working or travelling through the area.