It’s time to start celebrating Sheelah’s Day and the Sheela na Gig
Galway History

It’s time to start celebrating Sheelah’s Day and the Sheela na Gig

We’re sure you are all aware of the festivities surrounding St. Patrick’s Day, but have you ever heard of St. Sheelah’s Day which falls on the 18th of March?

In days of old, the celebrations of Patrick's Day would continue right up until the night of the 18th in honour of St. Sheelah. Read on to discover more about Sheelah’s Day and her connection to the eye-catching Sheela na Gigs that can be found on some historic Galway buildings.

Celebrating St. Sheelah’s Day was an old Irish, pre-Famine tradition. Sheelah is believed to have been the wife of St. Patrick, however there is no real evidence of this. As her feast day coincides with the Spring equinox, Sheelah is seen to embody the cycle of fertility, which covers natural, agricultural and human procreation and death. Like on St. Patrick’s Day, shamrocks would be worn during the Sheelah's Day celebrations. At the end of the day, the Drowning of the Shamrock would occur, where the Shamrock would be drowned in the last glass of whiskey.

While St.Sheelah’s Day is no longer celebrated in Ireland, across Galway and the rest of Ireland you can find stone carvings in honour of her. These carvings, called Sheela na Gigs, are often found above doorways or windows of medieval townhouses, holy wells and churches. The carvings feature the figure of old woman squatting with her legs apart and genitalia exposed (often in an exaggerated and slightly grotesque manner).

Sheela na Gig History
Captured at Dunnaman Castle by Stefan Lassus. See more here.

There are loads theories as to the purpose of these carvings, with most believing them to be fertility symbols, or that the carvings were meant to ward off evil. The name Sheela na Gig itself offers no insight into its purpose as ‘sheela’ was once a term for old woman or crone, and gig is slang for genitals.

Ireland has the largest number of Sheela na Gigs. In Galway you can find some at Clonfert Cathedral, Thoor Ballylee, Ballinderry Castle (near Tuam), and rumours tell of one on an island on Lough Corrib. The smallest Sheela na Gig in Ireland can be found at Galway’s Merlin Castle. Measuring only 4.5 centimetres in length, you need really sharp eyes to spot it!

There’s Sheela na Gigs scattered in locations all around Ireland, so if you’re curious to find the one closest to you, tap here, and if you decide to extend your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations this year into the 18th, remember to raise a toast of whiskey in honour of Sheelah. Sláinte!!

Feature photo taken at Kilpeck by Pauline and John Grimshaw. Find it here.

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