These low, spreading accumulations of shattered rock and charcoal are among the most common prehistoric monuments in Ireland, yet they remain poorly understood. The general theory holds that stones were repeatedly heated in fires and then dropped into water-filled troughs to boil the water, though for what purpose, cooking, bathing, textile processing, or something else entirely, is still debated. What makes the Farrankelly example notable is that it came to light not through targeted fieldwork but through the ground being cleared for a housing development.

The site was excavated in 2020 by Muireann Ní Cheallacháin of IAC Archaeology, during construction works by Cairn Homes. The mound, designated Mound A, measured approximately 17 metres by 8.4 metres, though it likely extended further westward toward the stream beyond the area affected by development. Excavation revealed a layered sequence of activity. At the base, a compact deposit measuring roughly 8 by 5 metres is thought to represent the earliest phase of use, where material first began to accumulate. Above this, a looser, more extensive layer had built up to around half a metre in thickness, and is interpreted as the main period of activity. A thinner, more compact spread of grey-black silty clay and burnt stone capped the sequence, possibly indicating a final, reduced phase of use before the site was abandoned. No associated trough features were identified, which is itself a point of interest, since troughs, whether timber-lined pits or natural hollows, are typically considered a defining feature of burnt mound sites.