What makes it quietly compelling is its compactness: the internal measurement along its main axis is just 3.4 metres, and the stones themselves, closely set and ranging from roughly 85 centimetres to just over a metre in height, have an intimacy that larger, more visited circles rarely convey. Six stones remain of what was probably an original seven, five of them still erect and one displaced, and among them are the axial stone and the entrance stones, the two elements most diagnostic of the Cork-Kerry multiple-stone circle tradition.

Multiple-stone circles of this type are a particular feature of south-west Ireland, typically Bronze Age in date and characterised by an odd number of stones, a recumbent axial stone at the south-west end of the main axis, and a pair of taller portal or entrance stones opposite. The Kilmartin example follows this pattern, with its axis oriented ENE-WSW, a common alignment in the regional tradition that has led many researchers to associate these monuments with solar or lunar observation. The circle was catalogued by Seán Ó Nualláin, whose 1984 survey remains the foundational study of the Cork-Kerry series. A separate standing stone, 1.2 metres tall and sitting just 2 metres to the south-west of the axial stone, adds another layer of interest; whether it was contemporary with the circle or erected independently is not recorded, but its proximity to the axial stone is unlikely to be coincidental.

The site sits on pasture and is not heavily signposted, so the Dripsey River valley and its surrounding farmland require some patience to navigate. The stones are modest in scale and easy to overlook from a distance, which is perhaps part of why this particular circle receives far less attention than better-known examples in the region.