by Dymphna Lonergan
It’s not the Arc de Triomphe nor the Brandenberg Gate, but sculptor Justene Williams hopes the 5m bronze statue with its arch-like legs at Brisbane’s Queen’s Wharf will be an answer to the ‘reckoning’ around public statues and monuments. Her four-breasted female figure is ‘not perfect’, but still a powerful representation of an heroic female for young girls – ‘kind of like a superhero – but also not at all.’
Williams’ ‘Sheila’ was inspired by the medieval sheela na gig statues, most of which are found in Ireland. The name ‘sheela’ is also decidely Australian. This now slightly derogatory generic name for an Australian female was first applied to Irish women who appeared in Australian courts.
It is possible that the medieval ‘fertility’ statues, the sheela-na-gig with the vulva spread wide was given the Irish language name Síle as has been customary, especially in nature: the ‘heron’ is Síle na bportach, ‘Síle of the bog’; the ‘beetle’ is Síle na bPíce, ‘Síle of the pikes’; a Síle chaoch, ‘a blind Síle’ is a name given to someone who has been fooled. And a man who spends too much time in female areas may be called a Síle.
Early Australian newspapers also show a familiarity with the more elevated use of Síle as a name for Ireland – Sheela na Guira – (Síle na ghadhar Síle of the hounds), a famous Irish tune.
While the statue has already met with mixed responses, Justene Williams is hopeful that ‘Sheila’ will start a new trend for visitors to Queen’s Wharf in Brisbane, as a photo opp, a touch point for luck, or simply as a meeting point. See you there.
Dymphna Lonergan a member of the Tinteán editorial collective holds academic status at Flinders University. You can read her research on ‘Sheila’ https://tintean.org.au/2021/07/10/whats-in-the-name-sheila-new-research/
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