The Irish myth of the Giant's Causeway - Iseult Gillespie

Summary

The Giant’s Causeway, a geological wonder on Northern Ireland's coast, is explained scientifically as a result of cooling lava, but Irish mythology tells a different tale. According to legend, it was created by the Irish giant Finn MacCool as a bridge to Scotland to challenge his rival, Benandonner. Finn, intimidated by Benandonner's size, retreated and destroyed the bridge, leaving behind the causeway and Fingal's Cave as reminders of their encounter.

Takeaways

• 🌊 The Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland is a vast plateau of basalt slabs and columns extending into the ocean.
• 🌋 The scientific explanation for the formation of the Giant’s Causeway is that it's the result of molten lava contracting and fracturing as it cooled after a volcanic eruption.
• 📜 According to an ancient Irish myth, the Giant’s Causeway was built by the giant Finn MacCool to reach his rival, Benandonner, in Scotland.
• 👊 The two giants, Finn and Benandonner, exchanged insults and threw rocks at each other in dramatic displays of strength.
• 🏝️ One of Finn’s thrown rocks created the Isle of Man, and the crater left by the missing land became Lough Neagh.
• 💪 Benandonner challenged Finn to a fight, leading Finn to build the Giant’s Causeway as a bridge to Scotland.
• 😨 When Finn saw the colossal size of Benandonner, he lost his courage and fled back to Ireland.
• 🧠 Finn's wife, Oonagh, came up with a clever plan to trick Benandonner by disguising Finn as a giant baby.
• 🍼 Benandonner was fooled into believing that if the baby was so large, Finn must be even more enormous, so he fled back to Scotland.
• 🪨 As Benandonner retreated, he tore up the rocks connecting Ireland and Scotland, leaving behind identical rock formations on both coasts.

Q & A

What is the Giant’s Causeway?

The Giant’s Causeway is a vast plateau of basalt slabs and columns located on the coast of Northern Ireland that stretches into the ocean.

What is the scientific explanation for the formation of the Giant’s Causeway?

The scientific explanation is that the Giant’s Causeway is the result of molten lava contracting and fracturing as it cooled after a volcanic eruption.

What is the ancient Irish myth regarding the Giant’s Causeway?

The ancient Irish myth tells of a giant named Finn MacCool who created the Causeway by tossing boulders into the sea.