new NatTableContentTooltip(natTable, GridRegion.COLUMN_HEADER) {

    @Override
    protected String getText(Event event) {
        int col = this.natTable.getColumnPositionByX(event.x);
        int row = this.natTable.getRowPositionByY(event.y);

        ILayerCell cell = this.natTable.getCellByPosition(col, row);
        if (cell != null) {
            ICellPainter painter = this.natTable.getConfigRegistry().getConfigAttribute(
                    CellConfigAttributes.CELL_PAINTER,
                    DisplayMode.NORMAL,
                    cell.getConfigLabels().getLabels());
            if (isSortHeaderPainter(painter)) {
                GC gc = new GC(this.natTable.getDisplay());
                try {
                    Rectangle adjustedCellBounds = this.natTable.getLayerPainter().adjustCellBounds(col, row, cell.getBounds());

                    ICellPainter hoveredPainter = painter.getCellPainterAt(
                            event.x, event.y, cell, gc, adjustedCellBounds, configRegistry);
                    if (hoveredPainter != null) {
                        if (isSortIconDecorator(hoveredPainter)) {
                            if (cell.getConfigLabels().hasLabel(DefaultSortConfiguration.SORT_UP_CONFIG_TYPE)) {
                                return "ascending";
                            } else if (cell.getConfigLabels().hasLabel(DefaultSortConfiguration.SORT_DOWN_CONFIG_TYPE)) {
                                return "descending";
                            }
                        }
                    }
                } finally {
                    gc.dispose();
                }
            }
        }
        return null;
    }

    private boolean isSortHeaderPainter(ICellPainter painter) {
        if (painter instanceof SortableHeaderTextPainter) {
            return true;
        } else if (painter instanceof CellPainterWrapper) {
            return isSortHeaderPainter(((CellPainterWrapper) painter).getWrappedPainter());
        }
        return false;
    }

    private boolean isSortIconDecorator(ICellPainter painter) {
        if (painter instanceof SortIconPainter) {
            return true;
        } else if (painter instanceof CellPainterDecorator) {
            return isSortIconDecorator(((CellPainterDecorator) painter).getDecoratorCellPainter());
        }
        return false;
    }
};