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Frank Kavanagh Photography | all galleries >> Galleries >> Northern Ireland > The Giant's Causeway.jpg
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30-OCT-2011 Frank Kavanagh

The Giant's Causeway.jpg

County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

The Giant’s Causeway belongs to the many things that the Irish people are proud of. It is an extraordinary landscape that was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1986. Also a National Nature Reserve as per a 1987 proclamation of the Department of Northern Ireland, this tourist attraction consists of thousands of interlocking basalt columns in a headland facing the North Atlantic Ocean’s North Channel towards Scotland.

The sight of these columns is awe-inspiring as they appear from the sea, forming hexagonal stepping stones to the top of the cliffs. Geologists believe that these natural formations were the result of intense volcanic eruptions in the area around 50 to 60 million years ago. But it formed a unique natural formation, and an amazing legend has been woven around the origin of the Giant’s Causeway.

If old Irish folks are to be believed, these ancient rock formations were actually part of a bridge that their mythical warrior Finn McCool built to cross the sea to do battle against a much bigger Scottish archrival, Benandonner. But the expected confrontation of warriors did not happen as Finn’s wife disguised his husband as their baby son. Seeing that with such an infant so huge, Benandonner concluded that Finn, the father, must be a giant. The Scottish warrior fled but destroyed Finn’s bridge which then became the awesome natural wonder in the county of Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Nikon D300
3s f/18.0 at 70.0mm iso200 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Mike Loring Photography19-May-2012 13:17
what a amazing place
joseantonio15-Nov-2011 21:13
I had no time to visit this place on my visit to Ireland. I will have to come back
Tom Munson11-Nov-2011 21:11
Wonderful image, Frank! A beautiful composition.
Guest 11-Nov-2011 19:40
Great Shot Frank...
Guest 11-Nov-2011 04:01
Very interesting! What a landscape and the color of that water - spectacular. A beautiful photo. V
Sam Rua11-Nov-2011 03:42
Nice capture of this special formation.
marko gregoric11-Nov-2011 03:18
Spectacular scene. V
woody3411-Nov-2011 03:03
Great shot..great legend ..Quite amazing
Guest 11-Nov-2011 02:18
Excellent work. V.
Hank Vander Velde11-Nov-2011 01:08
A super image and great description Frank. Thanks for sharing.
Mairéad10-Nov-2011 22:53
Great shot showing the colours, textures and shape of these amazing rocks.
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