DAY 16: GIANTS CAUSEWAY

FINN McCool may not have set out to create a magical place when he took on the Scottish giant called Fingal who was hurling abuse and insults from across the channel.

After all, Finn was simply showing off his strength and agility in throwing thousands of "stones" into the waves. He wanted to build a path across the water so Fingal could face him man to man ... eh, giant to giant.

But when Finn sneakily glimpsed the size of his foe, he turned heel and sprinted home.

When the Scottish giant followed the path to Finn's house, Finn's wife tricked him into believing Finn was a wee little baby, obviously making his Dad a giant among giants.

The Scottish giant retreated home so fast, he broke up the path in his wake and sent many of the "stones" to the sea bed.

At least that's one of the explanations for the natural phenomena that is the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland.

The causeway, which some view as the eighth wonder of the world, is made up of 40,000 basalt columns, each measuring about 45cm wide and 12m long with five to seven sides.

The area has three sections: the little causeway is flat and dotted with shallow pools; the middle sticks up out of the sea and looks like honeycomb; and the grand causeway consists of high columns curving out to sea to form Finn's path.
But the breathtaking World Heritage site is much more than a bunch of rocks scattered all over the countryside.

Tall jagged cliffs, clear blue bays and quirky rock formations make for stunningly impressive vistas.

The scientific view is that the area was rolling hills without a wave in sight until volcanic action 60 million years ago on the Eurasian Plate.

Ice, wind and waves formed the amazing landscape that is continually changing.

Guides have been showing the Giants Causeway to visitors for 300 years and passing down the Finn McCool legend through the generations. The incredible scenery (coupled with bucketloads of wild weather at times, or so I'm told) is certainly worthy of an incredible legend.

Lesson of the day: If I had to pick a top 5 must-do natural attractions in Ireland, I'd start with the Ring of Kerry, continuing with Slea Head then Cliffs of Moher, heading out to the Aran Islands (Inishmore) and ending with the Giants Causeway. And because journalists are rarely good at maths, I'll add another with the Wicklow Mountain National Park.

Of course, Ireland isn't called the Emerald Isle for nothing. You'll find a "gem of a place" everywhere you turn.

We covered a lot of ground in a short time. And Irish eyes were smiling on us with the weather so we felt we saw the country at its best.