Three of its five stones, including the axial stone at its centre back, lie prostrate on the ground, while the two portal or entrance stones at the north and south still stand, one of them leaning noticeably southward. The circle measures roughly three metres along its main axis, which runs east to west, and the interior has been disturbed at some point, dug out to a depth of around 0.4 metres, suggesting the site has not been left entirely to its own quiet business over the centuries.

Five-stone circles are a distinctive monument type found almost exclusively in Cork and Kerry, consisting of a recumbent axial stone flanked by two pairs of upright stones that graduate in height towards the entrance. They are generally understood to date from the Bronze Age, and their consistent east-west or northeast-southwest alignments have led researchers to connect them with solar or lunar observation, though their precise ritual function remains uncertain. The Knockavullig example was catalogued by Seán Ó Nualláin in 1984 as part of his systematic survey of Cork stone circles. Notably, a second five-stone circle lies just 250 metres to the southwest, which makes this part of the Kame valley an unusually concentrated spot for these monuments. Whether the two circles were used together, or simply reflect a community that favoured this sheltered terrace for repeated ceremonial activity, is not something the archaeology has resolved.