43 AUTUMN / WINTER 21
DESTINATION IRELAND
One of the standout places where it all comes together is the stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Giant ’ s Causeway in County Antrim , with its very name deriving from ancient stories of a conflict between the Irish hero Finn McCool and his Scottish rival Benandonner .
Some say the astonishing 40,000 hexagon rocks at the Causeway were carved as stepping stones to Scotland by the mighty Finn McCool so the rivals could set up a fight . Certainly , clues as to Finn ’ s existence are left behind in rock formations such as the Giant ’ s Boot , the Wishing Chair and the Giant ’ s Granny , not to mention the iconic stones themselves .
In Irish mythology the Tuatha De Danann ( People of the Goddess Danu ) were a race of deities and heroes , skilled in art , science , poetry and magic . One of the places they are associated with is the ancient Grianán of Aileach , a stone fort that still stands on a hilltop in Inishowen , County Donegal .
The fortress was built on the site of a former Tuatha de Danann palace , which legend says was called the Palace of the Northern Princes . The views from Aileach are breathtaking , and it is even thought that St Patrick visited the site in the fifth century to baptise the local chieftain , Eoghan , from whom Inishowen gets its name .
Ireland ’ s Ancient East has many stories to tell . Long ago mythical beings lived here and the land remains imbued with their legacy . At the Rock of Cashel , a spectacular collection of medieval ecclesiastical buildings in County Tipperary , the story goes that the devil took a bite from a mountain known as the Devil ’ s Bit , and spat it back out . It landed in the middle of Tipperary ’ s countryside , and is still there as the Rock of Cashel today .
Then there ’ s the River Boyne , central to the legend of the Salmon of Knowledge , and the mystical Hill of Tara , the inauguration place and seat of the High Kings of Ireland in County Meath . This special place serves as a port to the fairy world in the bestselling Artemis Fowl books for young adults , and in the upcoming Artemis Fowl movie that mixes Irish mythology with James Bond adventure .
Ireland ’ s southernmost counties have their stories too . The legend of the Tir na nÓg ( Land of Youth ) starts here , and you will also find the final resting place of The Children of Lir , the four offspring of King Lir , who were turned into swans and banished by their evil stepmother to live on Ireland ’ s lakes for 900 years .
Restored to their human form by a local monk , they died instantly , and , it ’ s said , are buried at a beauty spot in the picture-perfect village of Allihies in County Cork ’ s Beara Peninsula , where all that remains to this day are some large white boulders ….