Stories and myths of unique landscape features are common across many cultures and bring the countryside to life.
One of the many unique terrains in Ireland’s landscape is the Giant’s Causway. Known as Clochán an Aifir or Clochán na bhFomhórach (both meaning the giant’s stones) in Irish, the legend goes that Fionn MacCumhaill (Finn McCool), a modest giant of 52 feet and 6 inches living on the north coast of Ireland, was challenged to a fight by his Scottish rival, the giant Benendonner. Fionn accepted and built a causeway of stone across the water to Fingal Cave, Benandonner’s home, so that the two could meet. Upon finishing Fionn returned home and fell asleep. The next morning Fionn’s wife Oonagh heard the thunderous footsteps of the Scottish giant approaching and seeing how massive he was she quickly covered and hid Fionn where he slept, telling Benandonner to be quiet so as not to wake the ‘baby’. Seeing the size of the ‘baby’ Benandonner was terrified to think what size the father might be, and fled back to Scotland destroying the causeway as he went so that Fionn could not follow him.
The remains of the causeway can be seen in north County Antrim in Northern Ireland and at Fingal’s Cave on Staffa Island in Scotland.
We now know that the causeway’s 40,000 interlocking basalt columns are the result of an ancient volcanic eruption, however in the 17th century, story has it that there was serious debate as to whether the columns had been chiseled by man, by nature, or by giants.
A foot in each country
Having grown up with this story and visited the causeway in Northern Ireland it was a surprise and delight to discover that the Tweed coast has it’s own ‘giant’s causeway’ not far from me, just south of the mouth of the Tweed River.
A sign on the track to the Tweed ‘causeway’ tells a story of a giant of a different kind – the giant echidna Booniny, with each basalt column rock resembling echidna spines.
The headland was named Fingal Head in 1840 because of it’s obvious similarity to the columnar formation at Fingal Cave in Scotland and a piece of Irish an Scottish mythology was carried far across the world, possibly to remind the sailors of their home at the other end of the earth. In fact these connected landscapes parallel my own connections between Ireland, my beloved homeland, and Australia, my home of 8 years.
Fingal Head Walking Trails
Fingal Headland is covered in short walking tracks, some meandering through the coastal scrub and others linking to Fingal Head Beach to the north or Dreamtime Beach to the south. Besides the volcanic basalt columns at the edge of the headland, there is a beautiful view east to Cook Island and a 136 year old lighthouse, the Tweed’s oldest public building. Take some time to hang out under the pandanus trees that distinguish the headland and finish up with a trip to the Sheoak Shack Cafe for some food, coffee (avoid the chai) and great live music (Saturday afternoons).
