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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Sheela-na-gig (present location)

County Dublin, Ireland

The record

County
Dublin
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Not indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Not indicated
Coordinates
53.34018, -6.25499
SMR number
DU018-311----

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

American Geographical Society Library, UW-Milwaukee

Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1799 "Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

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The National Monuments Service's description

Sheela-na gig currently located in the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin (Cherry 1992, 6). Discovered in bed of River Cashen near Lixnaw castle (KE015-060----). Described by Freitag as a figure ‘carved in relief on one face of roughly rectangular block of coarse feldspathic grit, possibly old red sandstone, and badly weathered. Large head with pointed chin (somewhat damaged); bulbous eyes outlined by pecked groove. Pendulous, clearly marked breasts; broad shoulders. Flexed arms pass behind widely splayed thighs with both hands grasping swollen-looking, sagging pudenda from below, small touch-hole underneath. Legs splayed and bent with feet turned outwards. Figure holds a raised oval object under left arm in similar position as Lavey, Co. Cavan’ (Freitag 2004, 137). Cross referenced with KE015-0127----.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 06 June 2012

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

Cherry, S. 1992 A guide to sheela na gigs. Dublin. National Museum of Ireland.

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
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