“Once upon a time” is the start of wonderful fairy tales from our childhoods. We sit with full attention to listen to the story of giants, princes, and trolls. However, at some point in our lives, the magic and belief of the creatures vanish.
One of my favorite things about traveling to Europe is being immersed in their wonderful tales of magic and creatures. Some areas hold onto their beliefs that it becomes part of their culture and identity. On my trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland, I learned about a special legend.
The Tale
Along the coast of Northern Ireland lived an Irish Giant named Finn MacCool. One day, he heard the Scottish Giant Benandonner shouting threats to the Irish across the water, so Finn MacCool decided to challenge the Benandonner for a fight to end it once and for all.
The fight was accepted, and Finn built the causeway across to bridge the lands. Once he was done, Finn called out to Benandonner to come and get him. Well, since Benandonner was in Scotland, Finn never saw the Scottish Giant…
When Benandonner started charging across the causeway for the fight, Finn was struck by how large and strong the Scottish Giant looked. So, Finn took off running back to his house. Once inside, he slammed the door and told his wife to start packing.
Well, Finn’s wife Oonagh was a very smart woman, and decided to take matters into her own hands. So, she told Finn that he would feel better if he had some tea. Reluctantly, he drank her tea, and promptly fell asleep from the sleep potion she poured into it.
Benandonner was getting closer to their house, but Oonagh was quick to act. She built a large baby crib, dressed Finn as a large baby and placed his sleeping body inside the crib. When Benandonner arrived to the house, he pounded on the door. Oonagh answered and told Benandonner that Finn was not home. Benandonner decided to come inside and check it out for himself, since he did not believe Oonagh.
Inside, he saw Finn tucked into the crib with his full beard and large built, and then Oonagh told Benandonner that the baby was their son. As quickly as he came, Benandonner started backing out of the house and told Oonagh that he must leave. He decided that if the baby was that big, that the father must be really huge. So, he ran to the causeway, and destroyed it as he went back to Scotland.
What is left of the Giant’s Causeway is a spectacular rock formation of roughly 40,000 hexagonal columns rising out of the sea.
The Giant’s Causeway
Those that do not believe in the legend of the Giants reason the rocks were formed from ancient volcanic eruptions. But have you ever heard of volcanoes in Ireland?
If you are still not convinced, then how do you explain the identical columns in Scotland along Fingal’s Cave on the Isle of Staffa? So, it must be real :)
In 1986, the Giant’s Causeway became Northern Irelands only UNESCO world Heritage site. The Giant’s Causeway is free and open year round. We did not park since we visited the site with a Game of Thrones Tour. However, if you are driving and parking, at the Visitor’s Center, the parking is £10.50 per person, not per vehicle, and gives you access to the museum.
Unless you want to go to the Visitor’s Center and museum, you do not have to enter the building. Instead, follow the path past the building and continue down the hill. The walk is roughly 10-15 minutes on a wide and paved path.
Stopping for a beautiful view on the walk to the Giant's Causeway.
The layered basalt columns are gorgeous structures that you can climb and walk on. They reach from the beautiful Northern Ireland Mountains and recede into the Atlantic Ocean.
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Are you a believer in the legends?
