KILTINANE

Tipperary, Ireland

The first official record of the folk term Sheela-na-Gig was in a description of the figure on Kiltinane Church by John O’Donovan in his Ordnance Survey “Letters” of 1840.

At around the same time the name was also recorded in relation to the Rochestown figure. Both of these figures are now missing.
The Irish rendering is usually Sile na gCioch. Sheela or Sile means femininity but it also means a special kind of woman, a Hag or Spiritual Woman and also relates to the word for a Spirit or Fairy in Irish, the Sidhe (pronounced Shee). The word Gig is usually interpreted as gCioch or Giob meaning the breasts or the buttocks, but it could equally be related to such words as Gui, to pray. The figures were also known by the names of saints or were commonly referred to as the ‘Hag’ or ‘Cailleach’ (meaning both old woman and nun) or the ‘Idol’.
Sheela-na-Gigs are carved in a tradition of symbolic rather than representational or realistic form. They are arcane figures wherein every aspect of the carvings, the eyes, the ears, tattooing, head-dresses, the position of their arms and legs, let alone the great variety of ways in which the genital organs are featured, have a meaning.
It was common to depict the Celtic Gods and Goddesses as non-human or even ugly in order ‘to impress mortals with their power”. Such symbolism as the one-legged stance and the staring eyes are thought to be the “stance of the magician”.
The vulva has been revered as the central and most powerful symbol for virtually all older cultures since remote antiquity. Unlike the ‘fertility’ or Mother Goddess image where the breasts and belly are overtly emphasised, direct reference to the genitals usually symbolises death, life and regeneration.

Excerpt from: SHEELA-NA-GIGS Jack Roberts and Joanne McMahon

Irish Spirituality
Since the time of the Reformation in Ireland, Sheela-na-Gigs have been regarded as obscene objects to be hidden away. To this day, they are not available for viewing even though the Irish National Museum has a large collection. However, during the medieval period and even earlier, they were placed in prominent places on churches and castles and quite clearly played an important role in the religious iconography of the time.