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Heritage site Cookstown

Sperrins Sculpture Trail - Ceoldán (The Stargazer)

A giant wooden stargazer kneeling under one of the darkest skies in Ireland

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Check hoursForest and sculpture open in daylight hou…
FreeNo ticket needed
CookstownHeritage site
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30-45 minutesHow long
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Some accessAccess
FreeParking
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Sperrins Sculpture Trail - Ceoldán (The Stargazer) — A giant wooden stargazer kneeling under one of the darkest skies in Ireland.

  • Getting in: Free. Walk to the sculpture from the OM Dark Sky Park car park in Davagh Forest; no ticket needed.
  • Opening: Forest and sculpture open in daylight hours year-round. OM observatory roughly Mon-Thu & Sun 11:00-19:00, Fri-Sat to 21:00 (Apr-Sep daily); check before you go.
  • Inside: The sculpture is outdoors. The OM observatory building is entered by paid, pre-booked guided tour only.
  • Dogs: Dogs welcome on the forest trails; keep them under control. Not stated for inside the observatory.
  • Parking: Free on-site car parks (upper and lower), with disabled bays and a coach bay.
  • Food: Grab-and-go café (tea, coffee, snacks) at the OM Dark Sky Park visitor centre.
Plan your visit

Meet the Stargazer

Ceoldán is a kneeling timber giant who looks up to catch starlight. The spiral disc he holds is patterned on standing stones uncovered in Davagh Forest and the Beaghmore Stone Circles a few miles away, so the piece ties astronomy to the area's Bronze Age archaeology. He stands on a purpose-built boardwalk, so you can walk right up to him and around for photos. He is one of three giants on the trail, each in a different Sperrins location, and the only one set inside a Dark Sky Park.

Free to see Giant wooden sculpture Thomas Dambo trail Dark Sky Park setting Forest walk + boardwalk Free parking
Good to know before you go:

Davagh hosts stargazing nights, observatory tours and seasonal dark-sky events through the year. Pre-booking is essential for the observatory, and the sculpture stays free to visit any day.

Before you set off

What to bring

  • 👟Comfy shoesThere is usually a bit of walking, some steps and uneven older ground.
  • 📷A cameraThe history, the architecture and the setting are all worth capturing.
  • 💷A few poundsSome heritage sites are ticketed or have a shop and café — handy to have.
  • 💧Water and a snackNot every site has a café on hand, so pack a little something.
Good to know

Everything before you go

Getting in
Free. Walk to the sculpture from the OM Dark Sky Park car park in Davagh Forest; no ticket needed.
Opening
Forest and sculpture open in daylight hours year-round. OM observatory roughly Mon-Thu & Sun 11:00-19:00, Fri-Sat to 21:00 (Apr-Sep daily); check before you go.
Can you go inside
The sculpture is outdoors. The OM observatory building is entered by paid, pre-booked guided tour only.
Food
Grab-and-go café (tea, coffee, snacks) at the OM Dark Sky Park visitor centre.
Dogs
Dogs welcome on the forest trails; keep them under control. Not stated for inside the observatory.
Parking
Free on-site car parks (upper and lower), with disabled bays and a coach bay.
Accessibility
Sculpture sits on a timber boardwalk. The visitor centre has accessible toilets, a lowered desk and lift access; the forest walk to the giant is uneven in places.
How long to allow
30-45 minutes for the giant; half a day with a forest walk and the observatory.
Address
OM Dark Sky Park & Observatory, 155 Davagh Road, Cookstown BT79 8JQ
Questions

Before you go

Is it free to visit?
Free. Walk to the sculpture from the OM Dark Sky Park car park in Davagh Forest; no ticket needed.
Can you go inside?
The sculpture is outdoors. The OM observatory building is entered by paid, pre-booked guided tour only.
When is it open?
Forest and sculpture open in daylight hours year-round. OM observatory roughly Mon-Thu & Sun 11:00-19:00, Fri-Sat to 21:00 (Apr-Sep daily); check before you go.
Can I bring the dog?
Dogs welcome on the forest trails; keep them under control. Not stated for inside the observatory.
Where do I park?
Free on-site car parks (upper and lower), with disabled bays and a coach bay.
Getting there

Sperrins Sculpture Trail - Ceoldán (The Stargazer) is at OM Dark Sky Park & Observatory, 155 Davagh Road, Cookstown BT79 8JQ. Free on-site car parks (upper and lower), with disabled bays and a coach bay. Tap below for directions.

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The story

The story of Ceoldán the Stargazer

The Giants of the Sperrins are three linked sculptures by Danish artist Thomas Dambo, the world's leading recycle artist, whose work usually comes from discarded pallet wood. For the Sperrins he was asked to build giants designed to last around 60 years, drawing each one from the region's geology, archaeology and heritage.

The three giants represent past, present and future: Nowanois the Storyteller at the former Sperrin Heritage Centre on the Glenelly Road, Darach the Guardian on the summit of Mullaghcarn at Gortin, and Ceoldán the Stargazer at Davagh Forest. The trail was launched in 2024.

Ceoldán looks to the future. Kneeling on a boardwalk, he reaches to capture the Seven Sisters star cluster in a spiral disc whose pattern echoes the standing stones found in Davagh Forest and the nearby Beaghmore Stone Circles. The seven stars also stand for the seven guardian trees of Irish tradition: oak, apple, hazel, ash, yew, alder and elder.

His home is the OM Dark Sky Park and Observatory, set in Davagh Forest and accredited as the 78th International Dark Sky Park in the world. The dark skies that make Davagh a place for astronomy are the reason the Stargazer was placed here, where the night sky he reaches for is genuinely visible.