What distinguishes it is its shape and scale: sub-circular in plan, meaning roughly oval rather than the true round of later structures, it measures just 1.7 metres east to west and 4.3 metres north to south internally. The surviving walls stand only half a metre high and reach up to 0.8 metres thick, the kind of proportions that suggest a simple, functional shelter rather than any permanent domestic arrangement.

This hut was recorded as part of a broader archaeological survey of upland terrain around Mount Brandon and the Paps, two of Kerry's most distinctive mountain groups. The survey, published in 2006 by F. Coyne under the title 'Islands in the clouds', was produced by Kerry County Council in association with Aegis Archaeology, and it drew attention to the density of archaeological remains that survive in these high, often overlooked zones. Upland areas like Derrynafinnia were used across many centuries for seasonal grazing, and small stone shelters of this kind are generally associated with that transhumance tradition, in which people and livestock moved to higher ground in summer months. The asymmetry of the hut's internal dimensions, notably longer on the north-south axis than the east-west, may reflect the local topography or simply a practical response to the available stone and ground conditions.