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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Sheela-na-gig

Bunratty East, County Clare, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Sheela-na-gig, Bunratty East, County Clare, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Bunratty East
County
Clare
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Not indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Not indicated
Coordinates
52.69668, -8.81204
SMR number
CL062-001005-

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1904 · Sheet 13. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

This figure is now set into the S window in the hall of Bunratty castle (CL062-001004-); it was transferred there from the inner reveal of a window in the top room of the SW tower during a twentieth-century restoration of the castle. It is described by Freitag (2004, 125) as a figure, ‘carved at left to middle of a large rectangular slab. Triangular head with deep-set eyes, grim mouth and gritted teeth. Flat, but sizeable, pendulous breasts. Arms form circle, passing behind thighs. Legs widely splayed and set at right angles to body before bending at right angles at knees. Vulva, sagging below thighs, appears to be torn open by both hands to release some soft substance’ (Andersen 1977, 146, No. 59)

CL062-001005-_01.jpg attached.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien/Michael Moore

Date of upload: 6 June, 2012

References

Freitag, B. 2004 Sheela-na-gigs: unravelling an enigma. London. Routledge.

Andersen, J. 1977 The Witch on the wall: medieval erotic sculpture in the British Isles. London. Allen and Unwin Ltd.

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
All Sheela-na-gig in Clare All County Clare records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
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