TreeAlive
‹ Sites and Monuments Record, Ireland

Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Sheela-na-gig

Kiltinan, County Tipperary South, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Sheela-na-gig, Kiltinan, County Tipperary South, 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
Kiltinan
County
Tipperary South
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Not indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Not indicated
Coordinates
52.43924, -7.66122
SMR number
TS070-101003-

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)
  • 1882 · Ireland (southern half). (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1904 · Sheet 13. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

Get directions ↗

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

The National Monuments Service's description

Formerly located on a quoin stone, near the top of the W gable, on the SW corner of the nave of Kiltinan church (TS070-101001-). This sheela-na-gig was stolen in 1990 and its location is currently unknown. Another sheela-na-gig (TS070-101006-) is located on the fortified well house of Kiltinan castle (TS070-101004-) c. 300m to the E. The sheela-na-gig was in a horizontal position on the quoin stone. It is described by Freitag (2004, 136) as being ‘Carved on large, but very thin, rectangular limestone slab. Whole figure asymmetrical. Triangular, earless head with bulbous eyes, long nose and open mouth, set on thin, elongated neck. Odd droopy breasts, one with two nipples, dangling on big round belly. Left arm raised, bent at elbow, big hand with fingers spreading fanwise to touch left side of face. Right arm reaches down to genitals, with fingers reaching into open vulva, indicated by a deep straight groove. Legs wide apart, sharply bent at knee with feet turned outwards. Left leg raised higher’.

See attached screenshot of 3D model of Sheela-na-gig created by Digital Heritage Age. 3D model can be accessed on the Sketchfab website at: https://skfb.ly/6tzpX

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 4 December 2012

References

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

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 Tipperary South All County Tipperary South records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
See your own family's places on a living map