What is recorded here

Castle Hyde holds a inverted sheela-na-gig hidden inside an outbuilding wall, discovered only when plaster fell away in 2002. The stone had been reused as a quoin near the roof, turning the figure upside down and hiding her defiance from everyday sight. She probably came from the ruined tower house, carried into a newer wall as if to guard the doorway between old lives and the development about to erase them.

In the external face of the S wall of an outbuilding, c. 10m S of Castle Hyde (CO035-015----). Discovered in 2002 when plaster was being removed from the outbuilding prior to demolition and redevelopment. A stone displaying the lower portion of a sheela-na-gig had been reused as a quoin in an inverted position close to the top of the outbuilding. The legs and lower abdomen of a figure, with the arms around the legs in a typical sheela-na-gig pose, were visible. The figure, which is surrounded by a raised frame, is carved in low relief. It is probable that the sheela-na-gig came from the ruins of a tower house (CO035-015----). (Purcell 2002; pers. comm. Avril Purcell) The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 5' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009). Date of upload: 22 December 2009

A Sheela-na-gig carving, likely from the medieval period, often associated with fertility or apotropaic symbolism; such figures may have had ritual or protective functions in prehistoric or early Christian contexts.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.