Finn McCool and Benandonner from Ireland

The Irish, and all those who love a good tale, know about Finn McCool, the gentle giant and hero who had many adventures. Finn McCool was a one-of-a-kind hero in Ireland, and just a mere 13 miles, across the sea to Scotland, Finn had a challenge in another giant named Benandonner.

Finn McCool and Benandonner shouted at each other across the sea, challenging each other to a test of strength. The noise from this yelling back and forth across the sea was deafening! Both these giants took a great deal of pride in their strength and neither of them could resist a contest. The two giants both liked to brag and both wanted to show off their strength to everyone for miles around.

Finn McCool challenged Benandonner to come to Finn's home turf in Ireland. He said he would build a causeway of basalt rock between Scotland and Ireland. This causeway, a path, really, would stretch from County Antrim on the north coast of Ireland to where Benandonner was, in Fingal's cave on Staffa Island, off the western coast of Scotland. This causeway would enable Benandonner to make the trip across the sea to meet his match in Finn McCool.

Now this was very generous of Finn McCool because building such a causeway out of heavy basalt rock columns would take a great deal of back-breaking hard work, work that only Finn McCool could do. Building the rocky path of hexagonal rocks took so much out of the giant, Finn McCool, that he had to rest. Finn started home to rest, but he barely made it to shore before falling into the deepest sleep imaginable - the sleep that comes from sheer exhaustion.

Meanwhile, Finn's wife, Oonagh, also a giant, was on her way out to meet Finn to bring him an immense basket of food. She believed he was still out building his causeway to Scotland. Stunned, she dropped the basket of food when she saw that her husband was stretched out on the shore fast asleep! Oonagh was about to reprimand Finn, when a thunderous sound filled the air.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Giant's footsteps! .. Not Finn's, he was still sound asleep. Oonagh put her hands over her ears, saying "Och, those footsteps are heavier than my man, Finn's!"
Oonagh looked in the direction of the thundering footsteps and saw the massive Benandonner coming toward them. He was so huge that he made the giant Finn McCool look small by comparison.

Oonagh thought fast about what to do. Quickly, she covered her sleeping husband with a blanket and a bonnet which made Finn look like a very, very large baby ( which in
those parts was called a bairn)
The rumble of the approaching giant from Scotland got louder.
"Where's Finn McCool?" roared the massive Benandonner.
Oonagh stood silent and frozen with fear.

"Woman, where is Finn hiding? My vision is not good, but I know he is here somewhere!"
Benandonner squinted at Finn, covered in a blanket and wearing the bonnet, sleeping peacefully through this commotion.

"Shhhhh! Be quiet, Giant," Oonagh cautioned Benandonner, "You'll wake up the bairn!"
Benandonner was startled and astonished! If their baby was this big, how much bigger could Finn be?
Bennandonner did not stick around to find out. He ran out of there as loudly as he arrived. ...

Boom!  Boom!  Boom!  went Benandonner's footsteps as he ran back across the rocky causeway. He ran so fast and with such force that the causeway broke apart, destroying the causeway behind him. All that remained of that giant structure connecting Ireland and Scotland was the arrangement of basalt rock columns on Bennandonner's Scotland side and across the sea on Finn McCools' side on Ireland's Antrim coast.

To this day, you can visit The Giant's Causeway in Ireland, where the Irish and lovers of a good story believe is the path of basalt rock columns where Finn McCool won the challenge of Benandonneron  from Scotland, across the sea.


Copyright 2011 Elaine Robinson

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