How the Giant’s causeway was formed

Cocktail Party Physics : Irish legend is rife with memorable characters, among them a giant named Fionn mac Cumhaill -- or, more colloquially, Finn McCool. As with all myths, the details vary but the essence of the tale is this. Finn McCool lived on the north coast of Ireland with his wife Oonagh. One day his rival, the Scottish giant Benandonner began taunting him from across the channel -- the usual “I’m bigger and tougher than you, little wuss-boy” macho drivel, no doubt accompanied by much beating of chests and flexing of biceps. (Clearly Benandonner was a wee bit insecure, perhaps because he didn’t have a catchy moniker like Finn McCool.) Put bluntly, Benandonner said he could kick Finn’s ass if only that pesky channel wasn’t in the way to stop him. No self-respecting giant would stand for that insult to his masculinity. So Finn called his rival’s bluff, and built a causeway (bridge) out of huge stones across the water, since no boat at the time was large enough to hold a giant. And he invited Benandonner to come right on over and prove his point.