Portal tombs, sometimes called dolmens, are among the oldest monumental structures in Ireland, typically dating to the Neolithic period and consisting of two or more upright portal stones supporting a large capstone, the whole arrangement once covered by an earthen or stone mound that has long since eroded away. What remains tends to be the skeleton of something far more elaborate, and that skeletal quality is a large part of what makes these structures so affecting.

The primary scholarly record for this tomb comes from Ruaidhrí de Valera and Seán Ó Nualláin, whose Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland, Volume I, covering County Clare, was published by the Stationery Office in Dublin in 1961. That volume remains a foundational document for understanding the distribution and character of megalithic monuments across the county, and the Moyree Commons example was considered significant enough to be included in its catalogue. County Clare has a notable concentration of megalithic monuments, partly owing to the geology of the Burren to the north, where exposed limestone provided both the material and, in places, the bare ground that allowed ancient structures to survive with less interference from later agriculture and settlement.