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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Sheela-na-gig

Cartronkeel (Clonlonan By.), County Westmeath, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Sheela-na-gig, Cartronkeel, County Westmeath, 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
Cartronkeel (Clonlonan By.)
County
Westmeath
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Not indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Not indicated
Coordinates
53.39552, -7.71749
SMR number
WM030-112001-

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

Sheela-na-gig incorporated into wall of outbuilding located in farmyard immediately E of Moate Castle (WM030-112----). The carving of the sheela-na-gig is situated above a pointed doorway which has been rebuilt into an 18th /19th century outbuilding. The doorway and sheela-na-gig may have come from the adjacent Moate Castle (WM030-112----). Described by Freitag as a sheela-na-gig that has been, ‘carved in an oval impression of roughly rectangular slab. All features asymmetrical. Huge head, wavy lines across forehead, ovoid eyes (left empty, right with eyeball), puffy cheeks, grim open mouth showing teeth. Tiny breasts; protruding belly; arms reaching down in front of body with fingers of both hands grabbing oval vulva. Of legs only left thigh is discernible. A belt passes obliquely round abdomen’ (Freitag 2004, 138).

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 22 May 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 Westmeath All County Westmeath records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
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