The site centres on a sub-rectangular graveyard that contains several significant medieval features, and local tradition holds that St. Patrick himself founded this religious settlement. Just outside the western entrance to the graveyard stands a tall, plain high cross with a distinctive ring, marking the approach to this sacred space.

Within the graveyard walls, visitors can explore the remains of two churches and a mortuary house, also known as a tomb shrine. One of these churches continued to serve the local community as a parish church throughout the medieval period, maintaining the site’s religious importance for centuries. The structures represent different phases of ecclesiastical building at Cooly, showing how the site evolved from its early Christian origins through the medieval period.

Among the more subtle features of the site are traces of carved crosses on stone slabs. One poorly preserved example of an incised cross can be found on an upright slab just north of a stone sculpture that may depict a monk’s head. These carved stones, though weathered by time, offer tangible connections to the craftspeople and religious communities who once lived and worshipped here, adding another layer to Cooly’s rich archaeological record.