Shula-na-gig
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Where: Munster, Cork, Ireland
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When: Unknown
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It is probably fair to say that this photo is one of the poorest quality photos we have ever posted on this stream, and perhaps it is best that it is! I will give you the full description from the catalogue to help you with your investigations "Shula-na-gig on south side of abbey. Pilgrim stands on window to & rubs handkerchief to it [Sheela-na-gig / Síle-na-gcíoch]" The year is 1944 and we might be in Cork and the name Feehan is mentioned. Over to you.
Photographer: Irish Tourist Association Photographer
Collection: Irish Tourist Association Photographic Collection
Date: 1944
NLI Ref: NPA ITA 304 (Box II)
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie
Source: Flickr Commons
Views: 4666
Photographer: Irish Tourist Association Photographer
Collection: Irish Tourist Association Photographic Collection
Date: 1944
NLI Ref: NPA ITA 304 (Box II)
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie
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Owner: National Library of Ireland on The CommonsSource: Flickr Commons
Views: 4666
irishtouristassociation
irishtourist
nationallibraryofireland
ireland
bwfilmnegatives
glassnegatives
shulanagig
sheelanagig
cork
feehan
sílenagcíoch
abbey
pilgrim
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National Library of Ireland on The Commons
About 5 months ago our friend https://www.flickr.com/photos/186636635@N06 commented "Should Irish Tourism Association be Irish TOURIST Association? I can find numerous primary sources for the latter in the NLI catalogue, but the only results for the former are the photos in this collection. A search of the Irish Newspaper Archives for "Irish Tourism Association" between 1940 and 1944 produces zero results, but "Irish Tourist Association" produces 1,858 results." After some time, we replied as follows: The archive was opened, and the records were searched and researched, and it transpires that you are correct. Our colleagues report “We are sorry for having caused him unnecessary research. He’s quite right – the record should have read Irish Tourist Association. Along the way, transferring to Special Collections cataloguing, the word was changed from Tourist (as in our own original records) to Tourism”. Well done https://www.flickr.com/photos/186636635@N06
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
Oh Matron! - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheela_na_gig Flickr is sometimes amazingly close up and personal! In 2020 via [https://www.flickr.com/photos/salmix_ie/] [https://www.flickr.com/photos/salmix_ie/49667300571/] "Cork, Ballyvourney Church & Sheela-na-gig In the S wall of nave at Ballyvourney old church lintel, forming head of window light, has carving on outside face. The figure cut in false relief immediately above chamfer of window light; figure portrayed with torso, head and arms. The hands may be crossed at the navel rather than pointed downwards as suggested by Andersen described it as 'female figure cut into an ovoid depression'." Ed. Album - flic.kr/s/aHsmM1xq9X
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
William Fraser was there sketching before 1905 - catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000743688 Ed. and again - catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000737240
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
Controvesy ... "Situated above a window on the south wall of the older church in a Victorian style setting. This is one of the few sheelas that still plays an active part in pilgrimage to this site, on the feast day of St. Gobnait, 11 Feb and rubbing of the image is part of that ritual. As it was a very sunny day I was able to make out the lower rib cage on the image at the old church, but apart from the fact that this image has it’s hands joined in front, there are not sufficient features to make this a sheelanagig. And with the ovoid enclosure this may be a much later replacement for the original, if it ever existed." From - www.irelands-sheelanagigs.org/sheelas/another-8/
O Mac
Streetview of St Gobnait's Bruch An t'Sulain maps.app.goo.gl/6arDfCQqeEFEHbkq9
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
More with recent photos - " ... After this station the pilgrims would circle the church again stopping at station five for the second time. They would then re-enter the church and pray at the window in the south wall of the church, station 7. At this station they would reach their arm out through the window and rub the sheela-na-gig pictured below, which they believed to be an image of St Gobnait. ... ... The Ballyvourney sheela is believed to date to around the 15th century. It is eighteen centimetres high and carved into a recessed oval shape on a re-used lintel. ... From Megalithic Ireland - shorturl.at/KQWZ4
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
Bees! 🐝 🐝 🐝 - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gobnait
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/91549360@N03] The old church / abbey was very overgrown in 1944 - catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000574696
Niall McAuley
Nearby photosphere and Streetview from Google.
suckindeesel
https://flic.kr/p/2oEGcbn I don’t see any Sheila’s about, only a shadowy figure lurking in the doorway. Did the ITA ever succeed in enticing any foreign tourists to visit Ireland? I don’t think there could have been much tourism given that WW2 was in full swing, even if we ourselves were only experiencing an ‘emergency’
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
https://www.flickr.com/photos/184711311@N04 I think you make fair points!
suckindeesel
And on a completely different note youtu.be/xkS_R7RDuMc
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
https://www.flickr.com/photos/184711311@N04 as https://www.flickr.com/photos/beachcomberaustralia might say "Oh Matron"
Deirge (Del)
I'd never have found anything without the good work above. The newer Saint Gobnet's Church on the site is described as a Freestanding Board of First Fruits style church, built c.1810 see NIAH#20905809. You can view on the map a little about various monument on the site including the the old chapel which is likely the photo was taken from and the interesting record describing a specific carving of a female figure albeit I don't think that describes the NLI main image. Away back on the N22 the Catholic Church of Saint Gobnait ((Séipéal Ghobnatan)) has its own Pilgrimage point with a well-known travel advisory site actually having grand detail of multiple masses on the 11 February for the devout pilgrims and antiquities and pilgrim icons of its own and a plenary indulgence on the offer.
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
https://www.flickr.com/photos/196366907@N03 I have not heard about plenary indulgences for a long time.