Giant's Causeway
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Known to some as the eighth wonder of the world, the Giant's Causeway has survived over 60 million years. The region is made of basalt, a volcanic rock which, when cooled, formed over 40 thousand hexagon-shaped columns. Similar landscapes can be seen on the islands of Hawaii and Lanzarote. There are many stories regarding the causeway which have been passed down through generations and become part of the local folklore. We'll have a look at three of them.
The first is that the giant Fionn Mac Cumhaill (Finn MacCool) was getting ready to do a battle with the Scottish giant Benandonner. He built the causeway to get to Benandonner's home in the Hebrides, but got tired when he was finished and went home for a nap. Benandonner used the pathway intending to catch him unware, but Mrs.MacCool saw him and figured out her Fionn would never beat this huge giant lump of a man. She covered Fionn with a blanket, and told Benandonner to be quiet lest he wake the baby. The Scot looked at the figure in the crib and thought to himself that if this was the baby, what must the father be? He beat a hasty retreat, breaking up the causeway after him so that Fionn wouldn't be able to follow him. Apparently Benandonner had no grasp of the "boat" concept either.
The next story also concerns Fionn, this time before Mrs.MacCool was on the scene. He developed a crush on a female Scottish giant, and decided to woo her. He built the causeway to get over to girl. Here there are differences in the story depending on whom you ask. Some say he got over to Scotland only to find a lady who was somewhat lacking in aesthetic values and scrambled back to Ireland, ripping up the stones as he went. Others say it was the lady who was none too impressed with this uppity Irishman (after all, he couldn't even guess to build a boat!), and started firing chunks of basalt at him as soon as he got to shore. Needless to say Fionn got out of there, went home, met the future wife - Oonagh at a ceili, and the rest is history.
The third story concerning the causeway occured on the 26th of October, 1588 when a Spanish Galleon was shipwrecked against the jagged rocks of basalt. While the survivors recovered at nearby Dunluce Castle, the castle owners, the MacDonnells helped themselves to the ship's booty. The remains of this treasure can be seen in the Ulster Museum in Belfast. The wreck of the galleon itself is still beneath the waves at Port na Spainigh (The Spanish Port) where it sank over hundred years ago.
Whichever is the true story, a trip to the Giant's Causeway is not to be missed!