#benandonner

A giant named Benandonner, otherwise known as the Red Man, was believed to roam Scotland. Mac Cumhaill and the Red Man did not see eye to eye and Fionn challenged his Scottish nemesis to a fight while they shouted and threatened each other from across the water.

Building the Causeway so he could reach his biggest enemy, Fionn moves rocks from Antrim into the sea, and completes his new pathway only to find that Benandonner is his biggest enemy in more than one way. Benandonner was, in fact, much larger than him. Instantly regretting his trash talk, Mac Cumhaill hopes to run back to Ireland and go unnoticed by the Scottish giant. Unfortunately for Fionn, it isn’t long until he is spotted and Benandonner gives chase to the Irish hero’s home in Fort-of-Allen in Co. Kildare.

[...]

Having found himself in a tussle he wasn’t sure he could get out of alive, Fionn turns to his wife Oonagh who thankfully swoops in to save the day. Wrapping her husband in a sheet and telling him to settle himself into the bathtub, she welcomes Benandonner to her door, apologizing that Fionn is currently hunting deer in Co. Kerry.

[...]

Telling Benandonner she will make him Fionn’s favorite meal while he waits, Oonagh instead cooks a cake of griddle-bread baked with the iron griddle pressed inside it, on which the Red Man breaks three front teeth, and follows it with a strip of hard fat nailed to a block of red timber, on which the giant loses two further teeth.

With Benandonner beginning to feel he’s bitten off more than he can chew, Oonagh then asks if he would like to meet the baby and the Scot is astounded and terrified when he meets their “son” who is in fact just Fionn wrapped up in his sheet.

Assuming Fionn is enormous if this is just his child, the Red Man makes his excuses to Oonagh, and flees back across the Causeway, destroying it in his wake.

Source: https://celticlife.com/the-legend-of-finn-mccool/

A Tale of Two Giants

by Philip Watson

Long ago, an Irish giant named Finn MacCool roamed the north coast, where he could look across the narrow sea of Moyle to Scotland. A Scottish giant, Benandonner, was Finn’s greatest rival, challenging his strength and reputation. As the two giants had never met, Finn decided to invite Benandonner to Ireland, to engage in a decisive battle. There was no boat large enough to carry giants, so Finn built a causeway of huge stones across the water so that the Scottish giant could travel to dry land; thus he would have no excuse to avoid the confrontation.

However, as big Ben approached, Finn realized to his horror that his opponent was a larger and more fearsome rival than he anticipated. He fled to his home in the nearby hills, and like any sensible man, asked his wife for advice. Oonagh, a practical woman, disguised Finn as a baby, complete with large nightgown and bonnet. She placed him in a huge, hastily made cradle, telling him to keep quiet and pretend to sleep, as Benandonner’s great shadow darkened the door.

Oonagh brought the Scottish giant in for tea, pleading with him not to waken Finn’s child. Looking at the massive ‘baby’ lying in the cradle, Benandonner took fright, saying that if this was the child, he had no wish to meet the father. He fled back to Scotland, ripping up the causeway behind him, terrified that the awful Finn might follow him home.

  Eine Geschichte von Zwei Riesen

von Philip Watson

Vor langer Zeit durchstreifte ein irischer Riese namens Finn MacCool die Nordküste, von wo aus er die Meerenge von Moyle nach Schottand überblicken konnte. Ein schottischer Riese, Benandonner, war Finns größter Rivale, der seine Stärke und seinen Ruf anfocht. Weil die zwei Riesen sich nie getroffen hatten, entschied Finn Benandonner nach Irland einzuladen, um den entscheidenden Kampf auszutragen. Es gab kein Boot, das groß genug war, um einen Riesen zu befördern, also baute Finn einen Damm aus gewaltigen Steinen über das Wasser, damit der schottische Riese über Festland reisen konnte; auf diese Art hatte er keine Ausrede, um der Konfrontation auszuweichen.

Als der große Ben sich jedoch näherte, erkannte Finn zu seinem Schrecken, dass sein Gegner ein größerer und furchterregenderer Konkurrent war, als er erwartet hatte. Er floh zu seinem Haus in den nahegelegenen Hügeln und fragte – wie jeder vernünftige Mann – seine Frau um Rat. Oonagh, eine praktische Frau, verkleidete Finn als Baby, komplett mit großem Nachthemd und Haube. Sie platzierte ihn in einer riesigen, eilig hergestellten Wiege, wies ihn an leise zu bleiben und so zu tun, als würde er schlafen, als auch schon Benandonners beträchtlicher Schatten die Tür verdunkelte.

Oonagh brachte den schottischen Riesen für einen Tee herein, bittend er möge Finns Kind nicht aufwecken. Benandonner schaute auf das gewaltige „Baby“ das in der Wiege lag, erschrak und sagte sich, wenn das das Kind ist, hatte er kein Verlangen, den Vater zu treffen. Er floh zurück nach Schottland, den Damm hinter sich zerstörend, aus lauter Angst der furchtbare Finn könnte ihm nach Hause folgen.

15.06.2011

Today I went on what seemed to be Belfast’s only interesting day tour. It was a 10 hour trip to the Giants Causeway stopping at many other places during the day.

  Carrickfergus Castle

Carrickfergus Castle is a beautiful old castle located on the water’s edge in the small town of Carrickfergus.

“Carrick” means “rock” in Gaelic. The name Carrickfergus means “the rock of Fergus” and derives, according to legend, from king Fergus who died nearby in the sea during a storm.

The tour guide told all on board this story. When he didn’t get the reaction he was after he told us all that when the king landed on the rock and died he had actually landed on a puppy and that the puppy too had died. When someone on the bus said “aw” it was clear he had finally got the reaction that he was originally looking for and throughout the rest of the tour whenever he told a story where a person had died and no one said “aw” he would somehow work in a puppy dying until someone said “aw” – telling us that our lack of emotion for loss of human life would kill an innocent puppy!

        Caves

Along the winding road to the Giants Causeway the tour guide showed us these caves hidden in the cliffs edge on the side of the road. They were once used as homes and schools but are now uninhabited.

Carrick - a - rede - rope bridge.

The views from this particular stop in Antrim were amazing. I was even brave enough to travel over the rope bridge and run around the island on the other side.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The site is also home to a stone quarry and the stones that were taken there were used in the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Giants Causeway

There are two stories as to how the Giants Causeway was formed.

 1. Volcano:

The causeway stones formed as a result of accelerated cooling after molten lava came into immediate contact with water. The resulting fast cooling causes cracking and results in what can be seen today at the causeway.

2. Legend of Finn McCool:

Finn a renown warrior was going about his daily duties on the north coast when one of his adversary, a Scottish giant called Benandonner started shouting and ridiculing Finn's fighting prowess. This angered Finn who lifted a lump of earth and pelted it to Scotland as a challenge to this giant. The Scottish giant retaliated with a rock back to Finn shouting that if he could get his hand on him, he would make sure that Finn would never fight again adding that unfortunately he could not swim the short distance across the Channel, so Finn would be spared that fate. Finn got enraged by this and tore large pieces from the cliffs, he worked for over a week pushing these into the ocean bed and made a sturdy causeway to Scotland, when he had finished he shouted 'Now you'll had no excuse' to come over and do your best. Fearing to lose his own reputation and pride the Scottish giant had no alternative but come over the causeway.

 Finn was tired, having not slept for the week he worked on the causeway and did not feel ready for fighting. He thought about how he could buy some time and recuperate to face the Scottish giant and came up with an ingenious plan. Quickly he made a large cot and disguised himself as a baby ...... and waited. The Scottish giant arrived at Finn's house shouting, 'Where is that coward MacCool', Finn's wife said the he was away but sure sit down and have a cup of tea, he'll not be long. the tea arrived with a cake in which Finn's wife had placed some stones. Benandonner took a bite and broke one of his teeth, and thought to himself, this Finn must be a tough boyo to eat cakes like this, not to be outdone, he finished off the cake and tea, breaking two more teeth in the process. He noticed the baby cot and the baby inside it and his eyes widened in fear, he thought to himself, my goodness if this is the size of the baby? What size is the Father? He reached his hand in to touch the sleeping baby, half out of curiosity and half as a sign of affection, Finn bit the tip of his finger off. Benandonner was shocked by this and thought to himself, if this is what the baby is capable of, what must the father be capable of and what could he not do! This thought terrified him, the fear got the better of him and took to his heels and ran like he had never ran before, back across the causeway to Scotland destroying it as he went.

The Giants Causeway is made up of piles of hexagon shaped rocks coming up out of the ocean floor onto the shore. They are all different sizes and colours – from light brown to grey to black.

Quite a few times after climbing up the stones I’d look down and see just how steep it was wonder how I was going to get down. Like this:

Evidence to show that I did in fact conquer the walls of stones – up and down:

I was wearing my favourite pair of shoes on the day but this came at a cost – I fell over just moments after walking through a puddle with algae and landed on the stones awkwardly with a thud. I did however manage to take a photo while falling and you can see my knee with the sky in the background in one of the photos below.

Fin McCool

Leaving the Giants Causeway the bus driver stopped on the side of the road to show us Finn McCools face in the cliffs!

Bushmills distillery

Bushmills is the oldest licensed distillery in Ireland – granted its licence in 1608. As soon as I stepped off the bus I could smell Whisky – it hung very strongly in the air and made it hard to breathe. I thought as part of the tour we would get a tour of the distillery but unfortunately this wasn’t the case. I was however able to look around the grounds and the Bushmills gift shop.

While there I picked up a present – this is for you dad. Sorry I couldn’t buy you a bigger bottle – I wasn’t able to bring any more than 100ml back with me to mainland UK. If you like it I guess you will just have to make a trip to Ireland yourself!