What is recorded here

Refined Sheela-na-gig carving from Ballylarkin abbey church, now in the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin. She squats with arms akimbo, one finger touching her pudenda, her small breasts dwarfed by a deeply carved ribcase. The stone makes shame and visibility collide: to be known is not the same as being diminished.

Sheela-na-gig currently located in the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin (Cherry 1992, 6). Originally located on the walls of Ballylarkin medieval abbey church (KK013-018001-). Described by Freitag as a figure, ’carved in relief on slab and probably most refined of all Sheela-na-gigs, depicted in a squatting position. Oval head with big ears, ovoid eyes, small long nose and slit-mouth; thick neck. Tiny, pendulous breasts dwarfed by decisively carved ribcase. Arms akimbo with right hand placed on bent knee while middle finger of left hand delicately touches pudenda’ (Freitag 2004, 123-4). Cross-referenced with KK013-018003-. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 06 June 2012

Dateable to the medieval period, likely 12th to 14th century, the Sheela-na-gig is thought to have had a symbolic or protective function, possibly linked to fertility or warding off evil. Such figures appear across Ireland and Britain, often associated with church sites, though their precise meaning remains debated.

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