Finn MacCool and the Giant's Causeway

Classical Stories · No. 81 — The giant who won the biggest fight in Ireland by dressing as a baby.

• Classical Stories
• 37 min
• Ages 8–13
• 6 chapters

About this audiobook

Finn MacCool, the giant hero of Ireland, is challenged by the Scottish giant Benandonner and builds a causeway of great stone columns across the sea so the two can finally meet. But when Finn spots Benandonner striding across — far, far bigger than expected — he loses his nerve and runs home. His clever wife Oonagh has a plan: she disguises Finn as an enormous baby and tucks him in a giant cradle. When Benandonner arrives looking for Finn, Oonagh says Finn is out but here is his little baby — and the Scottish giant, staring at the size of the 'infant,' imagines the size of the father, and flees in terror back across the causeway, tearing it up behind him so Finn can never follow. And the broken ends of that causeway can still be seen on the coasts of Ireland and Scotland to this day.

Why it's worth a listen

The Irish giant Finn MacCool builds a causeway of stone across the sea to fight a Scottish giant twice his size — then panics when he sees just how huge his rival really is. His wife Oonagh's plan is pure genius: dress Finn up as a giant baby in a cradle, and let the terrified visitor imagine how enormous the father must be. A rollicking Irish tall tale that explains a real wonder of the world.

A question to keep

When your rival is bigger than you, can a clever wife's plan beat brute strength?

Based on the book by A tale from Ireland, published by Emma's Library original retelling

Chapters

1. The Voice Across the Water
2. The Stone Road to Scotland
3. The Shadow on the Horizon
4. The Wisest Woman in Ulster
5. The Cradle and the Hearth
6. A Question to Keep