There are a few versions of the mythological legend of Finn MacCoul and The Isle of Man. The inhabitants of the island and anything pertaining to it are known as Manx.

1. The most popular: The Manx people say that the Isle of Man sits in the center of the Irish Sea because of two giants, one Irish and one English. They were feuding over a woman and one night the English giant stole the woman away. This act of abduction infuriated the Irish giant, whose name was Finn MacCoul. He picked up a handful of stone and mud from Northern Ireland and threw it after his enemy's retreating figure. In the darkness, it fell short of its mark and landed midway between Ireland and England in the Irish Sea. It is told that the space from which the turf was taken filled with water and created Lough Neagh, which is the largest lake in the entire British Isles. It is approximately 18 miles long and 11 miles wide,and borders on all of the Northern Ireland Counties except Co. Fermanagh.


2. It is told that there was once an island to the southwest of England which was the home of Manannan MacLir. The name of the island was taken from the name Manannan, who was the leader of his own race of giants. The name was originally Manannan, then shortened to Manan, then shortened again to Man.


3. Irish mythology records the legend of the Isle of Man and Lough Neagh as the result of a quarrel between the Irish giant Finn MacCoul and the Scottish giant called Fingal. Finn grabbed a handful of earth and hurled it at Fingal as he was retreating to Scotland. Finn's aim, however, was not very accurate and the earth landed in the Irish sea. It remains there today in the form of the Isle of Man.


4. Many of ancient Irish legends about the Isle of Man are drawn from Irish mythology. Early folk tales say that the two channels of the Sound were created during a great fight between the Irish giant Finn MacCoul and a local giant known as the Buggane. As the two fought at Burroo Ned, Buggane hurled Finn MacCoul through the air. The impressions made by Finn's two feet as he landed were then flooded by the sea and created the Little Sound and the Big Sound off the Isle of Man.

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

Finn MacCoul image from Wade Pottery