Tim Desmond uncovers a story of archeological theft and international intrigue and how one man became a suspect in a theft that continues to cause mystery and mischief.
In January 1990 a Sheela na Gig, a medieval stone carving featuring exposed female genitalia , was taken from the ruins of Kiltinan Church , near Fetherd in County Tipperary .
A publicity campaign was organised to find the carving which was estimated to be worth millions and the story flashed around the world. A local archeology enthusiast Jim O’Connor was questioned by Gardai about the theft. Jim maintains he was innocent and offered to carve a replica to replace the missing Sheela na gig.
Some time later, in the United States, an attempt was made by another Irish man to sell stolen carvings to the Burns Library at Boston College, an institution which hosts a large archive of Irish historical material. That case also received international attention and led to a sting by the FBI, with the assistance of the Garda Siochána to recover the stolen goods. But was the Kiltinan Sheela na Gig part of that haul? Tim Desmond follows the story of the Two Sheelas
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Documentary on One: A Tale of Two Sheelas
