The pair are aligned on an east-north-east to west-south-west axis, set just 0.8 metres apart, with a combined span of three metres from end to end. They are not identical: the north-east stone stands 1.6 metres tall and is relatively slender, while its south-west companion reaches nearly two metres and is somewhat broader. That slight asymmetry, deliberate or otherwise, gives the pair an oddly weighted quality, as though one stone is answering the other.

Paired standing stones of this kind are found across Cork and Kerry, and scholars have long debated their purpose. The most persistent theory links their alignments to astronomical events, particularly sunset or sunrise positions at significant points in the year, though no single explanation has settled the question. The Clashmaguire pair sits on south-west-facing slopes overlooking the Dangansallagh and Finnow River valley, a position that would have commanded a wide prospect over the surrounding landscape. The site was catalogued by Sean O Nualláin in 1988 as part of a broader survey of stone pairs in the region. Two other stones nearby, a flat slab lying about 1.2 metres to the north-east and a further stone built into a roadside fence, are not considered part of the original monument, which is a useful reminder of how bogland and fieldwork have a habit of redistributing ancient material over the centuries.