An effigial tomb, for those unfamiliar with the term, is one bearing a sculpted likeness of the deceased, typically a knight, cleric, or noble, laid out in repose on a slab. This one now sits within a wall that serves a dual purpose, acting simultaneously as the boundary of the Cathedral of St John the Baptist and St Patrick's Rock graveyard and as a surviving stretch of the town's medieval defensive wall.

The effigy is thought to have originated in the Hackett chapel of the nearby Franciscan Friary, a detail that places it within a very specific devotional and familial context. Private chapels within friaries were frequently commissioned by wealthy local families as places of burial and memorial, the Hackett name suggesting one of the region's established Hiberno-Norman or Gaelic households with the means and inclination to endow such a space. At some point, the effigy was removed from that setting and relocated to its current position, set into the limestone niche where it remains. The friary itself still stands nearby, meaning the figure has not travelled far in geographical terms, but its journey from a dedicated family chapel to a repurposed section of town wall represents a considerable shift in status and context.