The Giants Causeway is a unique rock formation on the coast of Ireland. For centuries it has baffled people with its mysteriousness and significance. When the causeway was discovered in 1697, there were many speculations over whether the formation had been made by men with chisels, nature, or indeed by giants. Legend tells of a giant named Finn who built a causeway across the sea to challenge a rival giant in Staffa, Scotland. After completing the causeway, he fell asleep. His rival came looking for Finn, and upon seeing the rival was much bigger than her husband, Finn’s wife wrapped him in a blanket and told the rival giant to be quiet so as to not wake the baby. The rival, fearful of how big Finn must be to produce a baby that size, fled back to Scotland, destroying the causeway so he could not be followed. The neat formation certainly doesn’t look like nature could have formed such perfectly rounded rocks; however, in 1771 a Frenchman discovered that in fact it was not giants that made the causeway, but instead the result of volcanic action.
Despite there being a reasonable explanation for the Giants Causeway, it is still magnificent to see in reality, which is why Giants Causeway tours are extremely popular. The Giants Causeway is a UNESCO World Heritage site, for both the natural formation of the causeway, and also because the wreck of the Spanish Armada ship, the Girona, lays close by.
Ensure not to miss this natural phenomenon; you won’t be disappointed.