Finn McCool and the Giant Fairy Tale

Long ago in the north of Ireland, among the green hills by the sea, there lived a giant called Finn McCool. He was so huge that he could step across a river in a single stride. But Finn was a kind and cheerful giant. He helped the fishermen pull their boats up onto the shore, and he lifted children onto his shoulders, right up to the clouds.

Finn's wife, Oonagh, was a very clever woman. They lived happily in a big stone house on top of a hill.

Across the sea, in Scotland, lived another giant called Benandonner. He was much bigger than Finn, and he was bad-tempered and boastful too. "I am the strongest giant in the world! I could beat that Finn from Ireland with one punch," he bragged.

When Finn heard this, he grew angry and shouted, "Let him come, then, and we'll see who is stronger!" But there was a sea between them. So Finn threw huge stones into the sea, one after another, and built a stone road all the way to Scotland.

One day Finn was standing on the road, looking towards Scotland, when he saw Benandonner coming in the distance. His head brushed the clouds, and the ground shook with every step. He was twice as big as Finn! Finn was terrified and ran home. "Oonagh! I can't beat him! He will flatten me!"

Oonagh smiled calmly. "Don't be afraid, Finn. Where strength fails, wits will help. Do as I say." She sewed a baby's nightgown out of a big blanket and put it on Finn. She tied a baby's bonnet on his head and laid him in the biggest cradle in the yard. Finn's legs stuck out of the cradle, but Oonagh covered them with a blanket.

Then Oonagh began to bake. She made seven big griddle cakes, and in six of them she baked an iron griddle pan. The seventh she made soft and ordinary, and she put a mark on it.

Suddenly there was a thundering at the door. "Where is Finn?! I have come to fight him!" It was Benandonner. Oonagh opened the door and said pleasantly, "Finn has gone hunting. He will be back this evening. Sit down, rest and have a griddle cake."

Benandonner sat down, took a cake and bit into it. Crunch! Two of his teeth broke! "Ow! What is this? A rock?" he roared. "No, it's an ordinary griddle cake. Finn eats them every day. Even his little baby eats them," said Oonagh.

She went over to the cradle and gave the soft marked cake to the "baby". Finn gobbled it up in a moment and whimpered like a baby for more. Benandonner tried to bite his cake again and broke another tooth.

Then Oonagh said, "Would you like to see the baby? But don't put your fingers in his mouth. His teeth are very sharp." Benandonner leaned over the cradle and put his finger into the "baby's" mouth. Finn bit down on it hard! The giant howled and jumped back.

Benandonner looked at the "baby" in the cradle and was terrified. "If that is the son, what must the father be like? He could pick me up with one hand and throw me into the sea!" He rushed out of the door and ran back towards Scotland.

As he ran, he kicked the stone road and knocked the stones into the sea so that Finn could not follow him. Only small pieces of the road were left on the two shores.

Finn climbed out of the cradle, hugged Oonagh and rolled about laughing. "Oonagh, you are my strongest weapon!" he said. They say the remains of that stone road can still be seen on the coast of Ireland. It is called the Giant's Causeway. And the Irish tell their children, "Where strength fails, wits will help."