Video: Dungannon man’s amazing time lapse video brings Sea God to life

The two minute clip filmed in Darren’s Oaks Road studio captures him moulding from clay the ten feet high statue of Manannan Mac Lir, a Celtic sea god.

He can be seen painstakingly added the intricate details that make his sculptures so unique and visually stunning.

Darren, who has produced work for HBO, the film and television company, said the piece was commissioned as part of the Limavady Sculpture Trail which depicts myths and legends from the surrounding area.

The sculpture shows Manannan Mac Lir standing with arms outstretched in the prow of a boat which also contains a representation of the Broighter Gold Hoard, a treasure trove of Celtic gold and ornaments dug up by local farmers. It is believed to have been an offering to the Celtic sea gods.

Entitled Manannan Commands the Sea, the piece took five months to complete, and was modelled first in clay, and then moulded and cast in resin with slate powder to give the appearance of stone.

Forty-one year-old Darren has created a series of public artworks, including the statue of a fairy at Ballygawley Road Housing Estate, and a dramatic metal sculpture of a farmer pulling an ox, which is installed in Clough, Co Down.

The sculptor had been at pains to keep his project under wraps behind the closed doors of Unit 42 at the enterprise centre. The stunning art-work has all the hallmarks of Darren’s style which has made him one of the most distinctive and popular sculptors of public art in Northern Ireland.

“I was delighted to be given the task of creating this piece of public art”, he told the Tyrone Times.

“It was inspired by the myth of Manannan Mac Lir, the ancient Celtic Lord of the sea, and I was very happy when it was chosen over hundreds of other entrants from professional artists.

“The ordinary people of Limavady made the final decision so that made the selection that extra bit special.

“Unfortunately it was a very cloudy day when we installed the sculpture and the hilltop was shrouded in mist, so I wasn’t able to get a good view of it from below.

“But it’s already causing a stir in Limavady, with people putting photos of it on Flicker and commenting on it. It’s great to see that local people are talking about it.”