Hello everyone, and welcome. My name is Paul, and I am a storyteller at the British Library.
Today, I would like to share with you a really fun, exciting myth called Finn McCool and
the Giant's Causeway. Enjoy. A long, long time ago, there was a giant and
his name was Finn McCool. He was as tall as an oak tree, and he was as strong as 100 men,
and his voice was so loud that it could be heard from miles away.
This giant, Finn McCool, he lived in Ulster, Northern Ireland together with his lovely
wife, Oonagh. And they had a great life together, dancing, singing, playing, talking, and eating
gigantic griddle cakes slathered in honey. But there was one problem and that problem
was Benandonner. Now Benandonner, he too was a giant and he lived in Scotland across the
sea. And Benandonner, he was rude. He loved shouting insults at Finn from across the water.
"Finn, I'm much bigger than you. I'm much stronger than you, you little shrimp." Every
single day Benandonner would tease like that. And one day Finn, he had had enough. He decided
to go across the sea to Scotland and to show Benandonner that he was the biggest and that
he was the strongest. But giants, they're not very good swimmers. So instead, Finn started
to build a road across the sea, a causeway, and he built this causeway using enormous
six-sided stones. He built the causeway from his home in Ulster all the way to the Isle
of Staffa in Scotland where Benandonner lived. And then one day after building for a very,
very long time, the giant's causeway was finished. Oh, Finn, he couldn't wait to show Benandonner
how big and strong he was. But then the earth started to shake, and Finn McCool, he looked
up and he saw Benandonner stepping out onto his causeway. And that's when he realized
that he had made a mistake. A very big mistake because Benandonner was much bigger than he
had thought. And Benandonner was much bigger than Finn.
Finn McCool, he turned around and he started to run. He ran back along the causeway, and
he ran all the way home to Ulster across the sea, and he ran into his house as fast as
his legs could carry him, and he slammed the door shut. But Benandonner wasn't turning
back. He kept walking along the causeway and it didn't take him long before he was standing
outside Finn's house, knocking on the door. Finn was scared. He didn't know what to do.
But there was somebody in the house who did, and that was Finn's clever wife, Oonagh. "Listen,
Finn," she said. "I've got a plan. Wrap yourself in this bedsheet, lay down in the bathtub,
and pretend to be a baby." "A baby." said Finn. "Mm-hmm (affirmative)." Well, Finn,
he did what his wife asked. He wrapped himself in the bedsheet. He lay down in the bathtub,
and he pretended to be a baby. Well, meanwhile, Benandonner was getting impatient.
He kept knocking on the door, and so Oonagh walked over and she opened it.
"Where is Finn McCool, that little shrimp?" said Benandonner. "Oh, you mean my husband?"
said Oonagh. "Well, he's just gone out to hunt for deer, but why don't you come inside
and wait for him here. I'm just putting our baby to sleep." Oonagh, she brought Benandonner
into the house and she led him into the bathroom. And there, remember, in the bathtub was Finn
McCool pretending to be a baby. "Is that your baby?" said Benandonner. "Mm-hmm (affirmative),"
said Oonagh. "Isn't he cute?" "He is very big." said Benandonner. "Yeah, he is quite
big," said Oonagh. "But wait until you see his dad." Benandonner was starting to get
nervous now. "If the baby is that big," he thought, "well, then Finn McCool, he must
be absolutely enormous." Oh, he was frightened now, and he wasn't going
to stay around and wait for Finn to return. No way. And so Benandonner, he got up, and
he ran out of the bathroom, and he flew out of the front door, and he started sprinting
down the causeway back to Scotland. But he didn't want Finn to follow him, and so he
used his enormous fists and he smashed up that causeway. Yes, he smashed up those six-sided
stones into pieces until there was nothing left.
And the two giants, they never saw each other again. And today, of course, there are no
longer any giants in Ireland or in Scotland. And the road across the sea that Finn built,
the giant's causeway, it is now gone. Well, almost. Because if you ever go to the Isle
of Staffa in Scotland, you can still see the end of that road that Finn built. And if you
ever go to Ulster in Northern Ireland, you can see the beginning of the causeway built
with those same six-sided stones. And that strange, strange-looking place in Ireland,
it is now considered one of the wonders of our world, and it is still today called the
Giant's Causeway. And now you know why. Thank you for watching the story of Finn McCool
and the Giant's Causeway. I hope you enjoyed it. At the British Library, of course, we
have lots of stories and I would like to encourage you to have a look at our Discovering Children's
Books website. There you can find lots more stories, as well as fun and interesting activities
to try. Again, thank you very much, and bye-bye.