Giant's Causeway Poem by Richard Burke

T'was a boastful warrior's roar,
From Ireland's coast to Scotland's shore;
In Antrim you'll ney longer plunder,
Vowed Finn McCool to Benandonner.

With that McCool piled stone on stone,
And made a causeway of his own;
The Sea of Moyle, forty fathoms deep,
He now could cross by jump and leap.

But Finn could not believe his eyes,
When first he saw Benandonner's size;
Wide as a barn, six meters tall,
He'd best McCool in any brawl.

Finn was quick to regret his boast,
And turned his back to Scotland's coast;
But Benandonner McCool had spied,
And chased him now with ten-foot stride.

Finn just barely made his house,
And yelled for Ooneh, his clever spouse;
I bit off more than I can chew,
Where can I hide, what can I do?

Ooneh then threw him in a bed,
And covered him from toe to head;
Trust me Finn, don't make a sound,
I'll deal with Benandonner if he comes round.

She had not very long to wait,
Benandonner easily jumped their gate,
And pounded on Ooneh's cottage door,
"With Finn McCool, I'll mop your floor! "

Be calm my friend, McCool's not here,
He's gone to Kerry to hunt for deer,
But he'll be back fore day is out;
Come in and tell me - what's this about?

Benandonner came in and looked around,
Curious about the things he found:
What tree sized pole is lying here?
Said Ooneh, that's just my husband's spear.


And that block of oak, wide as a wheel,
And longer than a sailboat's keel?
Oh that, it's just the fighting shield,
Finn uses on the battlefield.

Your garden has boulders scattered round,
Each one must weigh a thousand pounds.
Oh, Finn tosses those for hours on end,
Just playing catch with his best friend.

It looks like Finn is running late,
Will you try a biscuit while you wait?
The biscuit's crust hid iron beneath,
On his first bite he broke three teeth.

Who is that lying in that bed,
That looks eight feet from toe to head?
Why that's only Finn's and my new bairn,
In baby clothes all McCools have worn.

One peek below the blanket's fold,
And the giant's blood ran icy cold;
The Giant was quick to understand,
If this be the babe, how big the man!

Benandonner then rethought his plight,
No longer sure he'd win the fight;
Said he, the tide's now running low,
To make the crossing, I'll have to go.

With that he bolted through the door;
Ran like lightning to reach the shore;
Dashed across the stones once more;
And swore he'd be back nevermore!

McCool then leapt up from his bed,
And followed the Giant while he fled;
But when he reached the Antrim coast,
He dared not repeat his foolish boast.

Instead, he gathered each stone he'd thrown,
And stacked them in columns, why is not known,
But remnants remain to this very day,
Known to all as the Giant's Causeway!