What is recorded here

You are holding the edge of Rathealy, where the old schoolhouse wall collapsed and gave back a limestone woman with a long slit between her thighs. Sheela-na-gig is not a joke or a mistake; she is a boundary marker, a warning, a midwife, a door. The children ran past that wall for decades, perhaps never knowing what the wall was keeping company with. When the rubble flew, the woman emerged, not invented, not decorated, but remembered by the stone itself.

Sheela-na-gig found in 1992 among rubble from demolished wall of old schoolhouse in Tullaroan (erected in 1842) (Prendergast 1992, 1027-30). Now in private ownership. Described by Freitag as a figure, ‘carved in false relief on wedge-shaped slab (dims. H. 0.75m; top Wth. 0.35m; bottom Wth. 0.25m), of pure crystalline limestone. Round head, set slightly to left; damaged nose; large projecting ears hollowed out from centre; eyes similarly hollowed out cavities; left eye has small punctured hole placed near centre of pupil. Three similar holes along horizontal slot form outline of mouth, one further hole in chest area, close to left arm. Thin neck; angular shoulders; tiny breasts attached to collar bone. Very pronounced ribcase extending over abdomen; navel indicated by circle. Arms lie close to body and pass behind legs with hands grabbing extremely long slit-vulva hanging between widely splayed thighs. Right leg longer with big foot and toes turning outwards; other foot not clearly discernible’ (Freitag 2004, 143-4). The original location of the Sheela-na-gig (KK018-101----) is unknown. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 6 June 2012

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