Okay, we are in France, but I am going back to Ireland again here for a minute.
Several of the things I really loved about Ireland was the self-deprecating Irish sense of humor, their never-ending gift of blarney, and the folklore and mythology that run through everything they do (and have done). It is a combination of factors that makes all of their storytelling just so…
…entertaining.
There is one in particular that captured my heart:
I really wanted to visit the Giant’s Causeway when we made the decision to visit Ireland. It is a very unique geological rock formation that sits at the Northeast corner of Ireland, near the town of Bushmills (yes, the home of Bushmills whiskey), in County Antrim. From the perspective of a long-time rock climber and a very uneducated geology nerd (self-professed, of course), I was very interested in these rock formations.
What I hadn’t realized was the rich history and mythology surrounding these unique columnar basalt formations.
There is so much information — so many different versions and tellings of the story to explain the presence of the Giant’s Causeway, but this is my paraphrasing of the story that is my favorite:
There was a giant that lived in Northern Ireland, named Finn McCool. Across the channel on the Scottish side was another Giant by the name of Bennandonner, who felt that Ireland should be his Island as well. Finn, being a large and proud giant, was not particularly impressed by Bennandonner’s claim, so started to throw rocks across the North Channel to warn him away (many of these rocks remain there as islands off the Scottish coast).
An idea struck Finn that he could just use the rocks to build a walkway — a causeway if you prefer — to cross the channel and give Bennandonner a piece of his mind about all those foolish claims.
So he did.
He was looking forward to a good scrap with the Scottish Giant.
On nearing the West coast of Scotland, Finn came to realize that Bennandonner was actually huge. Much bigger, in fact, than Finn himself. Some other plan was needed, so Finn retreated quickly back to his own Island, followed by the much larger giant.
His retreat was so hasty, in fact, that he lost his boot along the way and never went back for it.
On his return home, Finn’s wife, Oonagh, came up with a brilliant and devious plan of her own and dressed Finn up as a baby and made him up a huge crib. When Bennandonner arrived, intent on a good fight with the giant McCool, Oonagh explained that he was out hunting, and introduced him to she and Finn’s “baby”.
Well, Bennandonner was terrified! If the baby was that big, then how big must be his father, Finn?
In the interest of preserving his own hide, Bennandonner retreated back along the causeway to Scotland, having entirely given up the idea that Ireland should be his. On his return along the causeway, the Scottish giant tore up all of the stones forming the causeway, leaving just the remnants you see here in these pictures and a very similar formation on the Scottish isle of Staffa.
This is the view from the cliffs directly above. You can see the last remains of the causeway that Bennandonner did not destroy on his retreat.
That long thin point is all that is left of the Irish end of the causeway. This was looking down from near the site where — legend says — the McCool family home was located.
And here, on the hillside above and to the East of the causeway are rock formations that are claimed to be the chimney stacks and one remaining wall of Finn and Oonagh’s house.
As you can see here, Finn’s abandoned boot remains on the shore of County Antrim, where it was left, just near the remains of the causeway.
Of course, it makes a very comfortable seat.
I am not sure where in the story these fit in, but they are called the “Giant’s Organ Pipes”.
Somewhere out there, behind me and to the East, forever separated from Finn’s home in Ireland, is Bennandonner’s Island of Scotland.
