Sunday, November 30, 2014

Carrick-a-Rede and The Giant's Causeway

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to do a bit of adventuring and sightseeing over the weekend.  I went up to the North Coast of Northern Ireland to two places.  The first place I went was Carrick-a-Rede.  I have done a lot of traveling, but this is one of the prettiest places I have ever been!  Take a look!

Carrick-a-Rede


Carrick-a-Rede

In addition to all of the amazing views in this area, Carrick-a-Rede is famous for having a rope bridge that people are allowed to go across.  Apparently, about ten years ago, the bridge was nothing more than a plank of wood and two "handles" of rope.  I've talked to some people who have crossed the rope bridge back then, and they said it swung a lot and was not for the faint of heart!  It doesn't sound all that safe to me!  Luckily, because so many people were coming to the area and crossing the rope bridge, it was updated and is now much safer to walk across.  I have to admit, I was still a little scared, but I did cross it twice!  

Me in the middle of the rope bridge at Carrick-a-Rede

Me with the rope bridge at Carrick-a-Rede in the background

From Carrick-a-Rede I went to a place about 15 minutes away called The Giant's Causeway.  This place is also on the coast, and it is really interesting because the rocks there don't look like normal rocks.  They all have very similar shapes, and look like they are pieces of a honeycomb.  Scientists think that the rocks are formed like this because of an ancient volcano, but there is also a legend that the people in Ireland tell:

According to legend, the columns are the remains of a causeway built by a giant. The story goes that the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn MacCool), was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Fionn accepted the challenge and built the causeway across the North Channel so that the two giants could meet. When Fionn sees the Scottish giant Benandonner, and realizes he is much bigger, he runs back to Ireland to hide. Fionn's wife, Oonagh, disguises Fionn as a baby and tucks him in a cradle. When Benandonner reaches Ireland and sees the size of the 'baby', he reckons that its father, Fionn, must be a giant among giants. He flees back to Scotland in fright, destroying the causeway behind him so that Fionn could not follow. Across the sea, there are identical basalt columns (a part of the same ancient lava flow) at Fingal's Cave on the Scottish isle of Staffa, and it is possible that the story was influenced by this.
(This excerpt was taken and edited from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant's_Causeway) 

Here are some pictures of some of the rocks at The Giant's Causeway.

The Giant's Causeway

The Giant's Causeway

Going to Carrick-a-Rede and The Giant's Causeway was one of the best days of my trip so far!  If you ever make it to Norther Ireland, these are two places that you must visit!  I hope I can go back again someday!

Stay tuned for my next posts where I will be talking about some of the things I have experienced in Gilnahirk Primary School!




2 comments:

  1. Is the giant still alive? (Riley)
    Did you have fun? (Macy)

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  2. 1) I don't think anyone knows for sure about the giant, but everyone over here tells the story all the time!
    2) I had a lot of fun! There were a lot of stairs and a very steep hill, but it was so pretty that I didn't mind! Plus, I went with a bunch of friends, which made it more fun.

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