Along the rugged coast of Northern Ireland, near the narrow waters of the Sea of Moyle, nature carved something that looks too perfect to be real. Thousands of hexagonal stone columns rise from the sea like a staircase made for giants. They stretch across the shoreline in tight formation, as if someone placed them there on purpose.
This strange and beautiful place is called the Giant’s Causeway — and it comes with a story as bold as the landscape itself.
Long ago, before maps and science, people turned to stories to explain the world around them. And the one that stuck here was a tale filled with giants — starting with Fionn mac Cumhaill (also called Finn McCool), who lived along this wild coast.
Across the Sea of Moyle, in Scotland, another giant named Benandonner taunted Fionn from afar. The two began to argue, and eventually, Fionn had had enough. He tore up chunks of the Irish coastline and hurled them into the sea, one after another, until they formed a massive stone path across the water. This was the Giant’s Causeway, built for a single purpose: to challenge Benandonner face to face.
But when Fionn got close enough to see him, he realized he had made a terrible mistake. Benandonner was enormous — far bigger than Fionn had expected. Fionn raced back home in a panic, hoping to escape unnoticed. But it was too late — Benandonner had spotted him and began crossing the causeway in pursuit.
Fionn raced back home and turned to his clever wife, Oonagh, for help. She didn’t panic. Instead, she dressed Fionn as a baby, tucked him into a giant cradle, and calmly waited.
When Benandonner came stomping across the causeway looking for a fight, Oonagh greeted him and said Fionn wasn’t home. But she invited the Scottish giant in to meet their child. One look at the “baby” — nearly the size of a boulder — and Benandonner turned pale. If this was the baby, how big was the father?
Benandonner didn’t wait to find out. He ran all the way back to Scotland, tearing up the causeway behind him so Fionn couldn’t follow. That’s why, even today, the giant’s path disappears into the sea.
Mrs. G on the Giant’s Causeway — sitting where legends were born and giants once walked.
The giant may be gone, but his path remains — stacked like stepping stones at the edge of the world. Some come to see the stones. Others come for the story. But no one leaves without feeling like they’ve stepped into something ancient, and just a little magical.