What makes this particular stone row worth pausing over is that it does not quite behave as a row should. The stones are not set in a strict line; instead they follow a general east-north-east to west-south-west alignment, loosely, as if the original builders were working to a principle rather than a blueprint.

The arrangement consists of three tall, thin slabs, a low stone, and a large prostrate slab lying to the north of the group. The tallest of the three upright slabs is a striking 4.3 metres high, though it leans heavily to the east, giving it an air of slow collapse that has probably been under way for centuries. The second upright stands 2.5 metres tall, with a loose stone resting beside it. The low stone at the north-east end is only a metre high and sits loosely in the ground, as though it was never fully bedded in. Most intriguing is the fallen slab, measuring 4 metres by 1.3 metres, which is thought to have originally formed part of the row itself. Stone rows of this type are a distinctive feature of the prehistoric landscape of West Cork and Kerry, and scholars including Seán Ó Nualláin, who catalogued the Gurranes example in 1988, have documented dozens of them across the region. Their precise function remains debated, with astronomical alignment, territorial marking, and ceremonial use all proposed at various points.