It is, in fact, the remnant of a fulacht fia, a type of prehistoric cooking site found in considerable numbers across Ireland, particularly in low-lying or waterlogged ground near water sources. The proximity to the pond here is typical: fulachtaí fia, as they are known in the plural, generally depend on access to water, which would have been heated by dropping fire-cracked stones into a trough. The shattered, blackened stones that accumulate over repeated use are what archaeologists look for, and what appears to survive at Kilcolman.

Fulachtaí fia are among the most common archaeological monuments in Ireland, with thousands recorded nationwide, the majority dating to the Bronze Age, roughly 2000 to 500 BC, though some examples extend into the early medieval period. The burnt mound that forms the visible signature of these sites is essentially a disposal heap, the discarded fire-cracked stones piling up over generations of use. Their precise function has been debated at length; cooking is the most widely accepted explanation, though brewing, hide-working, and bathing have all been proposed. The Kilcolman example was brought to attention through a personal communication from R. M. Cleary, and the burnt material noted on the surface is consistent with the characteristic debris such sites leave behind.