The stone is subrectangular in shape, roughly 2.2 metres tall and just 35 centimetres thick, oriented along an east-north-east to west-south-west axis. That alignment is unlikely to be accidental. Many standing stones across Ireland share deliberate orientations that may relate to solar or lunar events, territorial boundaries, or routeways now long forgotten, though the specific intention behind any individual example is rarely recoverable.

Beyond its recorded dimensions and orientation, the historical record for this particular stone is spare. It appears in the Archaeological Inventory of County Cork, Volume 1, covering West Cork, published in 1992, which catalogued prehistoric and early historic monuments across the region. Standing stones of this type are generally associated with the Bronze Age, roughly 2500 to 500 BC, though some may date earlier or later, and their functions likely varied. Some are thought to mark burial sites, others to have served as waymarkers or focal points for communal activity. Without excavation, the stone at Arderrawinny keeps its own counsel on such matters.