Finn MacCool and the Giant’s Causeway

The tale of Finn MacCool and the Giant’s Causeway is one of the most enduring legends of the Irish folklore. The story takes place not far from the specified coordinates, near the village of Bushmills, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. This is the location of the world-famous Giant’s Causeway, an unusual geological formation consisting of thousands of interlocking hexagonal basalt columns, cascading into the sea. This unique and striking landscape formation serves as the backdrop to the myth of Finn MacCool, one of Ireland’s most celebrated giants. According to the story, Finn was often engaged in a long-distance quarrel with a Scottish giant named Benandonner. One day, in a fit of anger, Finn started to gather huge chunks of earth and threw them into the sea, creating a pathway between Ireland and Scotland. He then invited Benandonner to cross over and face him in a battle. However, when Benandonner took up the invitation and began to approach, Finn realised he was much larger than expected. With quick thinking, Finn’s wife disguised him as an infant. When Benandonner arrived and saw the ‘baby’, he assumed that the father must be a colossal giant and, in fear, he retreated back across the Causeway, destroying it behind him. Hence, the Causeway’s unique formation has been explained in folklore as the remnant of Finn MacCool’s bridge.

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