Sheela-na-gig in Kilmacomma

A sheela-na-gig was found in a sand-pit c. 1890 at Kilmacomma and displayed on the wall of an outhouse. It was subsequently removed and buried, and is now untraceable. It is described as a figure 'two and a half foot in height' (H c. 0.76m) with well-defined facial features (Freitag 2004, 145; Lyons 1937, 127-8). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Waterford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 05 June 2012

A sheela-na-gig is typically associated with the medieval period in Ireland, often found in ecclesiastical contexts; such figures may have had symbolic or protective functions, though their exact meaning remains uncertain.