I’m a sucker for some good folklore–and if it’s Irish folklore then even better–, so I couldn’t wait to see the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. I just can’t get enough of Ireland and visited Northern Ireland for the first time to meet family and see where my grandmother came from, and since I was in that neck of the woods, I managed to squeeze in a visit to the magnificent Giant’s Causeway.
This UNESCO World Heritage sight sits along the coast of Antrim and is comprised of hexagon shaped basalt columns that sprouted 60 million years ago following a volcanic eruption. The Giant’s Causeway photographs gorgeously but pictures don’t fully do the sight justice as it’s impossible to capture certain elements like the chilly gusts of wind and the slapping of the waves as they crash against the rocks.
However, Irish folklore tells a different story that traces back to some tension between two giants: Ireland’s Finn McCool and Scotland’s Benandonner. The former built the Giant’s Causeway to cross the North Channel and reach Scotland in an effort to sort out some problems he had with the latter. If you’re just dying to know how the rest of the tale pans out, the link below to my Stellar story features some photos (that try to do the sight as much justice as possible!) and recaps the legend.
I had a splendid afternoon with my cousin and after climbing the incredible rock formation, we then hiked the seemingly cascading cliffs, met some cool people along the way and then caught a spectacular sunset over the hills of Donegal in the west, a pleasant surprise given that a blanket of clouds had covered the sky all day.
Call me cheesy, but I hope my next trip to Northern Ireland will include visits to some of the breathtaking Game of Thrones shooting locales, particularly the Dark Hedges (yes, such a place really exists!) and Castle Ward…better known as Winterfell.
