This particular cairn sits within the northern half of an old ecclesiastical enclosure at Disert, its pile of mostly fist-sized stones accumulated over generations by pilgrims performing traditional devotional activities. A tree now grows from the centre of the mound, its roots weaving through the accumulated stones like nature reclaiming a sacred space.

The cairn forms part of a symmetrical arrangement around the holy well, with its twin standing immediately to the west. Both structures are integral to the site's religious landscape, marking stations where penitents would pause during their rounds of prayer and contemplation. The practice of adding stones to such cairns was common throughout Ireland; each stone represented a prayer, a penance, or a completed circuit of devotion, slowly building these monuments through countless individual acts of faith.

Archaeological surveys conducted by Beglane and colleagues in 2016 documented these features as part of the broader ecclesiastical complex at Disert. The site demonstrates the enduring tradition of pattern days and pilgrimage in rural Ireland, where holy wells served as focal points for community worship long after the formal church structures had fallen into ruin. These penitential cairns remain as tangible evidence of folk religious practices that blended pre-Christian customs with Catholic devotion, creating uniquely Irish expressions of faith.