A strange crater in the middle of the Irish landscape: an observatory for observing the sky

If you ever tried to free yourself from thoughts, then we found the perfect place for this - Irish Sky Garden or Irish Sky Garden. Here you can feel the harmony with yourself and the world around you.

At first glance, it might seem that the perfect oval in the middle of the Irish landscape is some kind of ancient structure. However, in fact, this is the creation of modern designer and artist James Tarrell. Tarrell is known for his large-scale experiments with space and light: he forces the viewer to interact with nature and expand the boundaries of perception of the surrounding world.

The Garden of Heaven is a perfect oval crater with a diameter of about 25 meters and a depth of about 13 meters. It is located in the Irish county of Cork, far from settlements: it is in these conditions that a person can best feel nature.

The structure resembles a bowl, in the middle of which lies a rectangular stone, similar to some kind of an altar of ancient people. But no, it was not created for sacrifices, it is a place where you need to lie down and relax. Lying on this stone you can see only the sky. This is the idea of the landscape artist: before the eyes of the viewer there will be clouds and skies framed by green grass, which resembles a frame. And there’s nothing more: everything to feel the nature and catch a unique feeling of serenity.

There is only one way to get to the altar: through a tunnel. It is on one side of the crater. The tunnel is long and symbolizes rebirth, so it is designed so that at the end of it is always visible light.

However, the heavenly garden is not only a creation of modern art, the choice of its location is not accidental at all. The fact is that the ancient Celts once lived here, therefore this observatory, although executed in the spirit of postmodernism, is a symbolic bridge between the past and the present world.

Excursions are organized to the Heavenly Garden, but James Turrell himself says that it is better to come here alone, because this place is created for one person: you must lie in complete silence in the very center of the stone pedestal and contemplate the heavens from which nothing will distract you. It is very easy to lose yourself here, merging with clouds, sky or stars.