On March 17, Ireland and its diaspora erupt in a sea of green to honor Saint Patrick, the nation’s patron saint. Yet, the very next day, March 18, once brought another tradition: Lá ‘le Síle, or Sheelah’s Day—a holiday now largely faded from memory.
For centuries, Sheelah stood as a symbol of Irish womanhood, her day a vibrant extension of Patrick’s feast. Today, her story deserves a revival, not just for nostalgia but for the cultural depth she reveals.
Sheelah Unveiled: A Figure of Folklore?
Sheelah—known variably as Síle, Sheila, or Sheelagh, from the Old Irish name Sighile—emerges from Ireland’s oral traditions rather than its historical annals. The most common tale, recorded in sources like the Freeman’s Journal (March 20, 1841), casts her as Saint Patrick’s wife, so while Sheelah is often thought to have been Saint Patrick’s wife, no solid evidence supports this claim.
“From a spirit of gallantry, these merry devotees continue drunk the greater part of the next day, viz., the 18th of March, all in honour of Sheelagh, St. Patrick’s wife.”
– A Stranger in Ireland by John Carr (1806)
Sheelah and Patrick, at one time, came to represent the ubiquitous Irish couple and “Paddy and Sheelah” became a byword for all Irish people.
Observing Sheelah’s Day was a traditional Irish practice predating the Great Famine. Her feast day, aligning with the spring equinox positions her as a symbol of the fertility cycle, encompassing nature, agriculture, and human life from birth to death.
Similar to Saint Patrick’s Day, participants wore shamrocks for Sheelah’s Day festivities. The day concluded with the “Drowning of the Shamrock,” a ritual in which the shamrock was submerged in the final whiskey glass of the night.
One courtroom anecdote from that edition captures a woman defending her drunkenness on Sheelah’s Day, citing an old custom of taking “a drop” in her honor. English writer William Hone, in his Every-Day Book (1827), echoes this, noting that Sheelah’s “immortal memory” was toasted with whiskey, though he wryly adds that her devotees were less concerned with her identity than with their drinks.
Beyond Ireland, Sheelah’s Day thrived among the diaspora. In Newfoundland, Canada, and parts of Australia, it became a spirited coda to Saint Patrick’s Day, blending Irish heritage with communal cheer.
Some claimed she was Patrick’s mother, but no evidence from Patrick’s own writings—like his Confessio—supports either role. Sheelah, it seems, is a creation of folklore.
A Three-Day Feast: March 16-18
Sheelah’s Day wasn’t a standalone event but the final act of a three-day celebration beginning on March 16, the eve of Saint Patrick’s Day. This structure—gathering, feasting, scattering—mirrored traditional Irish festivals, from fairs to wakes.
The 16th, 17th (St Patrick’s Day) and 18th March by Erskine Nicol (1856)
Erskine Nicol’s 1856 painting, The 16th, 17th (St Patrick’s Day) and 18th March, captures this extended revelry, a mid-Lenten break where Lenten fasting rules were relaxed.
On March 17, the shamrock was “wetted” with drink for Patrick; on the 18th, it was “drowned” for Sheelah, often with fresh sprigs donned to mark her day.
A Symbol of Womanhood
Sheelah’s story aligns with Ireland’s rich tradition of female figures—Ériu, Banba, Brigid, and the Cailleach, the wise hag of folklore who embodies nature’s cycles.
In Newfoundland’s “Sheila’s Brush,” she’s a stormy matriarch; in 18th-century aisling poetry, Síle Ní Ghadhra personified Ireland’s beauty and resilience.
Whether as Patrick’s mythic consort or a standalone icon, Sheelah reflects a cultural reverence for women as life-givers and keepers of tradition.
Celebrations Across Time and Place
In its prime, Sheelah’s Day buzzed with life:
- Ireland’s Revelry: The 1841 Freeman’s Journal report paints a picture of boozy tradition, with whiskey flowing freely. It was less about piety and more about community, a chance to linger in the glow of Patrick’s feast.
- Diaspora Echoes: In Newfoundland, dubbed “Talamh an Éisc” (Land of the Fish), Sheelah’s Day carried special weight. Local lore ties it to “Sheila’s Brush,” a late-winter storm after Patrick’s Day, said to mark her sweeping away the cold. Fishermen delayed their voyages until it passed, a custom rooted in practicality and superstition. Some even link Sheelah to Sheila na Geira, a legendary Irish princess said to have settled there in the 1600s, though this tale lacks historical backing.
Today, Sheelah’s Day has all but vanished from Ireland, though there are efforts to revive it. However, Sheelah’s Day is mostly overshadowed by Patrick’s global fame and diminished by events like the Great Famine, which scattered her devotees. In Newfoundland, it lingers faintly, a toast or a nod to the past.
Sheelah and the Sheela-na-Gig: A Tantalising Hint?
A modern curiosity ties Sheelah to the Sheela-na-Gig—medieval carvings of women exposing exaggerated genitalia, found on Irish churches and castles. With over 100 examples, like one at Rattoo, Co. Kerry, these figures are often dated to the 11th-16th centuries.
Scholars debate their meaning: warnings against lust, protective charms, or echoes of older fertility symbols.
The name “Sheela-na-Gig” (possibly from “Síle na Géag,” Sheila of the Branches, or “Síle na Gee”), and her day’s proximity to the spring equinox (March 20-21) fuels speculation of a pre-Christian link. Yet, no hard evidence connects the two beyond coincidence.
Sheelah’s Day appears in records only after Ireland’s Christianization, making any pagan origin speculative, not a given. The link may hearken back to a time when women, sex, and sexuality were venerated in Ireland.
Why Sheelah Matters Now
Sheelah’s Day may lack Saint Patrick’s grandeur, but it holds a quiet power. It reveals how Ireland wove folklore into faith, how its people carried traditions across oceans, and how a woman’s name once rallied a nation’s spirit.
Fáilte Ireland could breathe new life into her legacy, pairing her with Patrick to enrich the March festivities.
On March 18, as the shamrocks fade, Sheelah deserves a moment—a glass raised to a forgotten figure who still whispers of Ireland’s soul.
Sláinte!
