Fin McCool and his Giant Causeway – Northern Ireland

/ Bulldog Travels

Pretty much anywhere you go in Ireland is awesome.  (Sorry, but it is.)  Some places just vary in the level of awesomeness.  Giant’s Causeway is a destination location in Northern Ireland that is worth the visit.  It has changed over the years in that there is now a gloriously large and overwhelming visitor’s center.  But, I appreciate the architecture and the audio tour is provides.  Along with this comes a fee to enter. (NOTE: visitors can walk directly down to the causeway from the road if they want to take a hike.  And, I will warn you that it is easier going down that coming back up!)

The causeway is a geological marvel found only in a handful of places in the world. (I am lucky to live near one of them called The Devil’s Postpile near Mono Lake.) The volcanic cooling created octagonal shaped stones that provide a “causeway” from Ireland to Scotland under the sea.  It is said the giant Fin McCool once created this causeway by stomping his feet.  It was also the roadway that led Scotland’s giant to come knocking on Fin’s door.  Luckily for the Irish Fin’s quick thinking wife dressed him up in baby clothes and put him in a baby carriage.  She served tea to the Scottish giant and told him Fin’s father would be home soon.  Seeing the size of the giant baby the Scottish giant fled home thinking the father must be 10 times larger!

Giant’s causeway is situated on the sea with a view of Scotland on a clear day and the Norther island peninsulas.  The causeway road will also drive you along arguably some of the most painfully gorgeous scenery in the world.  We were lucky to have a clear bright sunny day leaving me to think that life, in that moment, could not possibly be any better.

Spend the rest of your day visiting Bushmills, Dunluce Castle, Portrush, Carrick-a-Reed rope bridge, and maybe even Dark Hedges.  My favorite thing to do though is to just meander along the Causeway highway and see where the road takes you.  Because, wherever it takes you I guarantee you will enjoy it.

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Giant’s Causeway Visitor’s Center

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Stones

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Pools filling up

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The iconic wall

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Columns

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Fin McCool’s boot

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Fin McCool’s mother’s chimney

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For more Irish shenanigans click here

For another post on Giant’s Causeway click here…

90 thoughts on “Fin McCool and his Giant Causeway – Northern Ireland”

  11. Another fascinating “Shenanigan”. What a place. You must have experienced some eerie sensation, right? Even the weather was Irishly suggestive of trolls, giants and elves.
    (Did you learn a few gaelic words?)

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