Calendar Sundial

At 16 metres (50 feet) in diameter the calendar sundial tells with great accuracy not only the time of the day but also the month of the year. The shadow is cast by a 1.75 metres (5 feet) spike of bog oak, and the sundial comprises 15 elegant curved lines showing the path of the shadow on the first day of each month and on the equinoxes and solstices. As the length of the shadow varies with the seasons, these lines enable the viewer to read the date as well as the time. 

The Sundial is a wonderful educational tool. It is exciting to see the shadow changing and moving round the dial. We can use it to demonstrate how the earth orbits the sun and how this leads to the seasons and the climate in this part of the world. The Calendar Sundial also fits in beautifully with the theme of our gardens, which reflects the cycle of the year.
The Calendar Sundial was launched in August 2006 and is the brainchild of Jenny Beale, founder of Brigit's Garden, and her husband Dr Colin Brown of NUI Galway who carried out the complex calculations. Máire Ní Chíonna supervised the surveying, the stone carving is by Mick Wilkins, Ronnie Graham designed the bog-oak gnomon and Mick Lynch and Micheál Lynch laid the stone.