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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Sheela-na-gig

Tullovin, County Limerick, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Sheela-na-gig, Tullovin, County Limerick, 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
Tullovin
County
Limerick
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Not indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Not indicated
Coordinates
52.49905, -8.68387
SMR number
LI031-048001-

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)
  • 1883 · Ireland 3. (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

Horizontal sheela-na-gig carved onto the external face of a quoin high up on SE angle of tower house (LI031-048----) (Guest 1936, 112; McMahon and Roberts 2001, 153-4). Described by Freitag as a sheela-na-gig ‘carved in high relief on corner stone. Left arm raised to head, depicted with some kind of head-dress and arresting facial features. Long torso with small breasts, ribs and navel; very long, contorted right arm passes under thigh with at least two fingers touching slit-vulva. Legs widely splayed; big toes turned outwards’ (Freitag 2004, 144).

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 28 May 2012.

References

Guest, E.M. 1936 Irish sheela na gigs in 1935. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 66, 107-29.

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

McMahon, J. and Roberts, J. 2001 The sheela-na-gigs of Ireland and Britain: the divine hag of the Christian celts - an illustrated guide. Cork. Mercier Press.

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 Limerick All County Limerick records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
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