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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Sheela-na-gig

Portnahinch, County Laois, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Sheela-na-gig, Portnahinch, County Laois, 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
Portnahinch
County
Laois
Country
Ireland
Latest-edition OS map
Not indicated
Coordinates
53.13845, -7.26839
SMR number
LA004-004002-

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)
  • 1811 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (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

Two grotesque female figures were to be seen in 1918 in the farmyard wall of the entrance gate to the SSW of Tinnakill Castle (LA008-001001-). Present owner of the castle and farmyard stated in 1990 that they were broken up by person or persons unknown and buried. One was said to have come from a window jamb of Tinnakill Castle (LA008-001001-) the other from somewhere in Portnahinch (Anon. 1920, 262-3). H. Roe has taken photos of them and these photos can be seen in Laois Co. Library. The second sheela (LA004-004002-) that came from Portnahinch may have been taken from the Church at Portnahinch (LA004-004-).
Two sheela-na-gigs (LA004-004002-; LA008-001002-) were built into the coping of the gate entrance wall. One was part of the jamb of a window of the 16th century Castle, the other came from Portnahinch. Moved from this site to a house in the Dangans (Mrs. Fennelly) where they suffered a misfortune with a truck. Both it and the Portnahinch figure were broken as a result and were later used as building material. Nothing to be seen now. (http://www.irelands-sheelanagigs.org/archive/index-42071.php.html accessed 23 May 2012). Freitag recorded that the sheela-na-gig was rescued from the castle ruins (LA008-001001-) and re-erected in garden wall of private house together with the Sheela from Tinnakill (LA008-001002-). Due to an accident both figures were knocked down and later re-used as building material (according to Mrs Fennelly, owner of house). All attempts to find missing figures have failed’ (Freitag 2004, 145).

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload/revision: 23 May 2012

References

Anon. 1920 The Annual Excursion of 1918. Journal of the Kildare Archaeological Society, Vol. IX, 262-3.

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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