Exhibitionist figure

The National Monuments Service's description

Abbeydorney Monastery (in ruins) is situated half a mile NE of Abbeydorney village. On the 1841 ed. OSi 6-inch map the Cistercian monastery (KE021-053001-) is depicted standing on the NE boundary of a roughly circular-shaped graveyard (KE021-053002-) accessed by a laneway at SW. The centre of the present graveyard mainly occupies the footprint of the cloister of the Cistercian monastery with some of the tombs constructed with architectural fragments of the cloister and abbey. In recent times the graveyard has been extended to the E and now forms a large rectangular shaped graveyard with monastery at W angle of graveyard.
Located immediately S of the SE angle of the church is the 19th century burial vault of the King family which has been built with architectural fragments of the Cistercian abbey. Above the entrance to the vault there is a carved male figure within a sunken roundel type background with crudely carved head with large flat nose, rounded eyes and large protruding ears with the right hand pulling the right earlobe and the left hand down by the left hand side with clenched fist at the buttocks area. The legs are in profile and are slightly apart as if the figure is swinging. The clenched fist on the left hand side may be holding or drawing something across the waist of the figure but this is unclear, it could be that this figure is holding his penis but this is uncertain. This appears to be the remains of a possible male exhibitionist figure rather than that of a sheela-na-gig that was originally built into the fabric of the Cistercian abbey.

To see a 3D model of this exhibitionist figure, visit; https://skfb.ly/owWIU

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 26 July 2022