It is a togher, a timber trackway laid across soft or waterlogged ground to allow passage where the earth alone could not hold a traveller's weight. The classification of "class 3" places it within a loose typology used to describe these bog roads, suggesting a relatively modest construction, likely composed of roundwood, branches, or loosely laid timbers rather than the more elaborate jointed or planked structures found at major sites elsewhere in the Irish midlands.

Toghers are among the quieter categories of Irish archaeological discovery, easy to overlook precisely because they exist in environments that have, for centuries, been doing the work of preservation. Peat bogs maintain near-anaerobic conditions that can keep organic material intact for thousands of years, which is why timber structures that would otherwise have rotted away entirely can still be found, sometimes in remarkable condition, when drainage or turf-cutting disturbs the ground. The Derrynaskea togher was noted during field survey by B. Raftery, a name associated with significant work on Irish wetland archaeology and bog roads in particular. The site came to broader attention through the work of the Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit, based at University College Dublin, which systematically recorded wetland features across the Irish midlands during its period of operation.