It is a souterrain, a type of structure built during the early medieval period in Ireland, typically constructed from dry-stone walling and roofed with large flat slabs, then buried under the earth. Their precise purposes are still debated by archaeologists; they may have served as places of refuge, as cool storage chambers for food, or both. What is less debatable is that they required considerable communal effort to build, and that their presence in a townland usually signals a settlement of some significance nearby.

Lissaniska is a small townland in Mayo, and beyond its name and the confirmed existence of this souterrain as a recorded monument, detailed information about the site remains difficult to come by. The broader Mayo landscape is well populated with early medieval remains, a reflection of the region's dense settlement during the centuries when souterrains were most commonly constructed, roughly between the seventh and twelfth centuries. Many were associated with ringforts, the circular enclosed farmsteads that once defined the Irish countryside, and it is possible that the Lissaniska souterrain follows this pattern. Without excavation records or detailed survey notes in the public domain, however, that connection remains speculative for this particular site.