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Looking down towards the sea for the first time, it is easy to understand why the Giant's Causeway has been dubbed by many as the '8th Wonder of the World'. The sheer strangeness of the place is enough to take even the hardened traveler's breath away. Starting from the bottom of the cliff and edging into the Irish Sea, there are polygonal stones, stark, gray, but inviting the eyes closer. This is a place of wonder, of legend and a 'must see' for any traveler to Ireland.
Situated on the Northern coast, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, the Causeway 'proper' is made up of 40,000 polygonal columns of basalt, forming stepping stones, some of which are up to forty feet in height. They are packed tightly together and the vast majority of them are hexagonal in shape, but some have four, five, seven and eight sides. The stones' diameters range in size from a few centimeters up to three meters, and their surfaces are smooth, convex and concave; some sloping downward toward the sea.
Geologists say that the formations were created as a result of volcanic activity some 50-60 million years ago, during the Tertiary Period. As the molten lava hit the seawater and the air, it quickly cooled forming these strange, polygonal columns. The stepping-stone 'appearance' is thought to have been caused by a number of lava flows over time. The name however, was derived from a much more romantic explanation: Legend.
Folklore has it that the Causeway was built by the Ulster giant, warrior and chief of the King of Ireland's armies - Fionn MacCumhain, or Finn McCool. Even legend, though, has its contrasting accounts. In one account, Finn was said to be in love with a lady giant who lived on the Hebridean Island of Staffa, and that he built the Causeway in order to safely bring her from the Scottish Island to Ulster. Interestingly, there is a similar (though a smaller) collection of basalt stones on Staffa's coastline, and geographically, Ireland and Scotland were once much closer than they are today.
The other legend says that Finn built the Causeway due to an ongoing argument with a Scottish giant named Benandonner. In an argument one day, while they were shouting at each other over the Irish Sea, Finn took a clump of earth and flung it at his enemy. The land fell in the sea and 'became' the Isle of Man, while the hole left in Ireland 'became' Lough Neagh. As the argument continued Finn decided to build the Causeway in order to fight Benandonner. Here again the legend diverges. One story suggests Finn was afraid of the Scottish Giant and ran home when he saw the size of him. Looking for a place to hide he chose the baby's crib. When Benandonner saw the size of the 'baby' he fled saying that if that was the size of the baby what size would the father be?
The other story says that Benandonner had arranged to fight Finn but when he got to Finn's house his wife said he had been delayed. To pass the time the Scottish giant decided to play with the baby (actually Finn in disguise) who promptly bit off the finger of his enemy, causing Benandonner to run back to Scotland howling in pain. Today, the legends just add to the magic and the beauty of the Giant's Causeway.
The Bishop of Derry first recorded the Causeway's existence in 1692, and the scientific interest in the region has not abated since. The coast road leading to the cliff edge was not built until the 1830s, but early travelers would revive themselves on whiskey at Bushmills (now the world's oldest distillery) before continuing on their arduous journey.
There is more to the Giant's Causeway than the basalt pillars however. There are other geological formations to be appreciated throughout the five-mile walk around this historic site. These include the 'Giant's Organ' - basalt pillars resembling a church organ in the cliff face, 'The Honeycomb', 'The Wishing Well' and more. There is also the 'Port na Spaniagh', the point at which the 'Gerona', a galleon from the Spanish Armada, was wrecked on the jagged rocks during a vicious storm on the 26th October, 1588.
The Gerona was said to have been traveling from Killebegs to Scotland when it got into difficulties. 1200 men are believed to have lost their lives, with only five surviving. The survivors are now buried at St. Cuthbert's graveyard, near Dunluce Castle. The MacDonalds of Dunluce Castle plundered the treasure on the ship, but the remaining treasure was recovered by Robert Stenuit and his team from the wreck (which still lies on the sea bed) between 1967 and 1969. This Spanish treasure can be seen at the Ulster Museum in Belfast.
Its then owner - Sir McNaghten, bequeathed a small portion of the Giant's Causeway to the National Trust in 1961. The Trust now owns most of the site, but the Moyle District Council owns the car park and visitor's center. Private individuals own some parts of the Causeway, while the hotel is also privately owned. The Causeway is also the only UNESCO heritage site in Ireland (since 1986).
The area is a protected site - for its importance geologically and for the many species of birds and plants that are to be found there. The National Trust, the Moyle District Council and the Department for the Environment (D.O.E) maintain it.
In conclusion, the strange beauty, the intriguing folklore and the surrounding areas of interest (including Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, Dunluce Castle, Bushmills etc) bring over 350,000 visitors annually. Many of these tourists are from overseas, making the Causeway Ireland's biggest tourist attraction. The case for the 'Causeway of the Giants' being the 8th Wonder of the World is certainly a very valid one.
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