What was once a five-stone circle, a compact prehistoric monument type found across the Cork and Kerry uplands and characterised by a small number of uprights arranged in a rough arc or ring, now presents itself as two standing stones still holding their original positions and three further stones apparently displaced, lying along a field fence to the south.

The five-stone circle type is among the more enigmatic of Ireland's prehistoric monument classes, typically dated to the Bronze Age and thought to have served some ceremonial or calendrical function, though the precise use of any individual example remains uncertain. At Carriganine, the two orthostats, the term simply means upright standing stones, give a sense of the circle's former geometry. The western stone measures roughly a metre in height and slightly less in length; the eastern stone is marginally taller and longer, though considerably thinner. These dimensions, recorded by the archaeologist Seán Ó Nualláin in 1984, suggest a modest but deliberate construction, placed on ground with a clear outlook over the valley below. The three displaced stones along the nearby fence are presumed to be the remaining members of the original ring, moved at some point, possibly during field clearance or boundary work, from their prehistoric positions.