There are many heroic legends surrounding Finn MacCoul. Many of the great legends of Ireland are linked to the north coast of Ulster, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, where man first settled on the emerald isle. In this legend we will tell of his role in building the Giants Causeway.

Finn MacCoul was a relatively small giant by comparison. A renowned warrior, he was going about his daily duties on the north coast, when a much larger Scottish giant called Benandonner started shouting and ridiculing Finn's fighting ability. This made Finn irate, and he lifted a lump of earth and threw it to Scotland as a challenge to fight this giant. Benandonner responded by throwing a rock back to Finn. The Scottish giant shouted that he would make sure that Finn would never fight again, except for the fact that he couldn't swim across the Channel. Finn was enraged by this threat and proceeded to tear large pieces of rock from the cliffs. He worked for more than a week pushing these rocks into the ocean bed. When he finished he had made a sturdy causeway to Scotland. He then shouted that Benandonner no longer had an excuse not to come to Ireland and fight. In fear of losing his reputation, the Scottish giant had no alternative but to make the trek.

Giants Causeway, Ireland Photographic Print Buy at AllPosters.com

Finn was exhausted, having worked so hard and long on the causeway; he just wanted to sleep. However, he needed to buy some time before fighting Benandonner. He came up with an ingenious plan to disguise himself as a baby. The Scottish giant arrived at Finn's home shouting for Finn to come out of hiding. Finn's wife told Benandonner that he was away but would not be long. She invited the Scottish giant to join her for some tea and cake, in which Finn's wife had baked some stones. Benandonner took a bite and broke one of his teeth and thought that Finn must be a tough man to eat cakes like this. Not to be outdone, he finished off the cake and tea, breaking two more of his teeth.

Benandonner noticed the baby cot and the huge baby inside it. His eyes widened in fear and thought if this is the size of the baby, how big is his father. He reached his hand in to touch the sleeping baby and Finn bit off the tip of his finger. Benandonner was shocked and thought that if this is what the baby could do, what must the father be capable of doing. This thought terrified him, so he stood up and ran like wind back across the causeway to Scotland, destroying it as he went.

The Giants Causeway, Unesco World Heritage Site, Co. Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland Photographic Print Buy at AllPosters.com

Other stories about Finn MacCoul are:
Finn MacCoul and The Salmon of Knowledge
Finn MacCoul and The Isle of Man
How Finn MacCoul And His Men Were Bewitched