The Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland: Legend or Science?

The legend

Many, many, many years ago, the battle between Irish giant Finn McCool (also known as Fionn mac Cumhaill) and Scottish giant Benandonner peaked. Finn was so enraged with Benandonner’s threats to Ireland he built a path (the causeway) with rock so he could get to Scotland and teach Benandonner a lesson. After completing the rock path and reaching Scotland, Finn quickly became surprised and scared of the size of Benandonner. The Scottish giant was substantially larger than Finn. Out of fear, Finn ran as quickly as he could back to his home. He ran so fast one of his shoes came off and was left on the path.

Benandonner saw Finn running away and followed him back to his home in Ireland to teach him a lesson. Finn didn’t know what to do when giant Benandonner knocked on his door. His quick-thinking wife had him dress up and pretend to be a baby in a cradle in another room. She then invited Benandonner into the home. When he discovered Finn in the other room he was shocked. Thinking that if a baby was that big, imagine how big the father must be. He quickly left and went back to Scotland. As he fled, he destroyed the causeway behind him. All that can be seen now is the remnants of the pathway built by Finn.

The science

The over 40,000 near perfect hexagonal basalt columns make up the Giant’s Causeway. It is the aftermath of a volcanic eruption that happened about 60 million years ago, leaving the puzzle perfect pieces interlocked. This shape is very common among columnar basalt formations around the world. It is best described as honeycomb patterns found in beehives. The majority are hexagonal columns; however, others are known to be between four and eight sided. In the cliffs, the solidified lava can be up to 28 meters (92 feet) and can reach 12 meters (39 feet) in height.

The area

The Giant’s Causeway, along with the entire Causeway Coast is a magnificent area of global geological significance. Various footpaths throughout the 70 hectare (173 acres or 700,000 m²) area enables visitors and tourists the chance to view the stunning coastline from above the cliffs. It is located about 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of the town of Bushmills on the northern coast of Northern Ireland. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is also a national nature reserve. In 2005, the Giant’s Causeway was known as the 4th greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom.

The visitor’s center

The visitor’s center is open daily from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. However, the last admission to the visitor center is one hour before closing. Admission for an adult is 10.50 GBP (13.60 USD), child is 5.25 GBP (6.80 USD), and family is 26.25 GBP (33.90 USD). Check out their website for discounts that are available.

Through the visitor’s center you can also access an interactive exhibition and an outdoor audio guide available in nine different languages. There is also a gift shop, coffee shop, and tourist information center onsite.