RIDGE OF MYTHS CARVED BY FIRE

Flanked by dramatic coastal cliffs and the turbulent waves of the Atlantic Ocean, the Giant’s Causeway is an area of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns that tumble into the sea, situated on the north coast of Northern Ireland, 3 miles from the town of Bushmills. Although it appears manmade, the causeway is a geological oddity, formed from powerful volcanic activity that occurred approximately 60 million years ago, when molten basalt collided with chalk beds to create a lava plateau. As the lava cooled, it contracted, leaving fractured columns. In 1986, the causeway was declared a World Heritage Site and is now owned and managed by the National Trust. The site has inspired many legends, including one of an Irish giant, named Fionn mac Cumhaill, who is said to have built a path across the channel so he could defeat his Scottish rival, Benandonner. Variations of the legend have a different giant victorious. The causeway has been a visitor attraction for more than 300 years and has come to be regarded as a symbol of Northern Ireland.