The Legend of the Great and Mighty Finn MacCool

(Fionn MacCumhail/ Finn Mac Cool/Fionn MacCoul)

Alternatives: Coul, Cool

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Finn's Story

If you live in the Newry and Mournes' area or indeed in Ireland, the stories of the Great and Mighty Finn MacCool will be very familiar to you, as there are many landmarks that are related back to this mighty man. This page is aims to bring the stories of Finn together so that adults and children alike can enjoy them. At a mere fifty two and a half feet tall, Finn MacCool was reported to be small by giants’ standards.

Many a story has been told, in Irish-Celtic mythology, about the Great and Mighty Finn MacCool, and to this day the Stories and Legends are told and embellished to such a degree that it is hard to distinguish where Fiction starts or Fact ends!! 

There are many heroic legends surrounding Finn MacCool. Finn MacCool was an Irish prophet, warrior and healer. He learned his skills either from touching the flesh of Fintan as he cooked him, or by sipping the gods' wine as he served them at table. Comparisons have been drawn between him and the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Finn was reputed as being the last leader of the Fianna, the guardians of Cormac, the High King of Ireland or Erin. Although many of the manuscripts containing texts relating to Irish/Celtic mythology have failed to survive, and much more material was probably never committed to writing, there is enough remaining to enable the identification of four distinct, if overlapping, cycles: the Mythological Cycle, The Ulster Cycle, the Fenian Cycle and the Historical Cycle. There are also a number of extant mythological texts that do not fit into any of the cycles. In addition, there are a large number of recorded folk tales that, while not strictly mythological, feature personages from one or more of these four cycles. These events were supposed to have taken place during the 3rd century AD.
.........but like all good stories, however we must start at the beginning!!

Finn's birth

Tradition has it Cnucha ~ now known as Dublin, was the setting for a fierce some battle between two Fianna chiefs, Cool Mac Trenmor of Leinster: the captain of the Fianna, and Aed Mac Morna: the chief of the Connacht Fianna. Aed was viciously wounded in the eye by one of Cool's warriors, that he became known as "one - eyed" Aed. However, Aed quickly gained a sweet revenge, for he slayed Cool, and the Fianna lost their leader. Cool's wife, Murna, was about to give birth to their child when news reached of her husband's death. Murna was wise, in that she knew that no child of Cool's would be allowed to live by his enemies. Hence, Murna fled with two of her most trusted maids, Bodhmall, a Druid, and Liath Luachra, a warrior and trainer, into the terrain of Slieve Bloom. Soon after, she gave birth to a son, and named him Demna. Murna reluctantly handed her baby over to the two maids, so that they would bring him up until he was old enough to fight for his rightful place as Cool's son.  
Murna was hunted down and murdered, by Aed Mac Morna, shortly after this, but the secret birth of her son, Demna, was never revealed.

Finn: the early years

Demna's boyhood was spent near the calmness of Slieve Bloom. The two maids brought him up well in conscientious manner. In the care of these two women he was given an extensive education in the subjects considered important for an Irish youth of his caste and time. 
As Demna grew older, he in turn ventured further and further from his home. On one of these trips Demna was bewitched by Miluchra on the summit of Slieve Gullion at the Lough of Cailliagh Bhirra and it is said that to this day if you swim in the Lough your hair will turn white! Needless to say Demna's hair turned as white as the snow white or blonde.

Early one afternoon, Demna came to be at a chieftain's hall. In the gardens in front of the hall, some boys of a similar age were playing the Irish game of hurley. Demna was allowed to join in the fun and soon became the best player on the grass. That evening the boys informed the chieftain of the stranger who had joined in and beaten them at there own game. The leader of the gang of boys told the chieftain that the boy was tall and had immense strength, however they did not know of his name.
"Then there can only be one name for him and that is Finn," exclaimed the chieftain. From that day on, Demna was known as Fionn or Finn ~ meaning of fair mind. 

The Salmon that brought Knowledge

Finn was now old and wise enough to leave Slieve Bloom. With his spear in tow, he said goodbye to his two acting foster mums, and forthwith set out on his travels.
Every part of Erin was surveyed, with Finn assisting kings and more chieftains. Through his travels, Finn acquired the skills associated with combat, namely weapons and fighter training. Finn also decided to broaden his skills by studying poetry, with the wise Druid, Finegas, in order to reach the heights required to regain his father's honour, and become leader of the Fianna. Finally, Finn met the poet near the river Boyne. The Boyne is a river in Leinster, Ireland, which course is about 70 mi (112 km) long. It rises at Trinity Well, Newbury Hall, near Carbury, County Kildare, and flows towards the Northeast through County Meath to reach the Irish Sea at Drogheda. Salmon and trout can be caught in the river, which is surrounded by the Boyne Valley.

For seven years, Finegas had been trying to catch the "Salmon of Knowledge" which resided in a dark pool in the River Boyne. Above the dark pool, there was a hazel tree which dropped nuts of knowledge into the water, hence as they fell, Finegas would eat the nuts and gain knowledge. However, whoever could catch and then eat Fintan, the "Salmon of Knowledge" would attain the knowledge of all ages. In Celtic mythology, Fintan was a shape-changer. He was the only Irish survivor of Noah' s flood, changing into a hawk to soar above the waters and into a salmon to live in them. He ate the gods' magic hazlenuts and had received all knowledge. 
As soon as Finn arrived to be taught Finegas's knowledge, Finegas caught the salmon with relative ease. Finegas was happy to give the fish to Finn to cook it, warning him not to eat it himself. Finegas wanted the fish all for himself.
Finegas patiently waited for Finn to bring the salmon. Finn duly arrived with the cooked fish. Finegas noticed that Finn was no longer a youthful boy, but rather a strong looking man. He asked Finn whether he had eaten any of the fish. Finn replied that as he had turned the fish over for cooking on another side, he had burned his thumb and then sucked it to ease the harshness of the resulting pain.

Finegas ordered Finn to eat all of the fish because through his thumb all of the knowledge of the ages had passed, and by sucking on the thumb, the knowledge had been transmitted to all parts of Finn's body. Finegas told him that when he had eaten the fish, to be on his way because he could teach him no more that had not already been gained via the "Salmon of Knowledge".

Conan and the Black Ram

An unpopular member of the Fianna was Conan Maol. He was a philanderer who Finn only turned a blind eye to because he often provided him with "sound" advice. There was one thing that made Conan very different from any other member of the Fianna. He had black ram's fleece all over his back and this is how he cam to have it! 
Conan's Story
Whilst out hunting with the Fianna one day, Conan and his counterparts came across an grand house. They entered into the house in search of food and wine. After a while of searching they came to be at a chieftains hall, where laid out in front of them on a table was a feast set for a king, but no sign of any living creature.
The Fianna were shattered via there hunting exploits, hence they sat down at the table and helped themselves to the food and merrily drank the wine. Suddenly, with all the food barely half eaten, one of the Fianna jumped to his feet in shock. Then suddenly everyone noticed that the walls around them were changing into rough wattle, and the previously thatched roof was beginning to take shape as smoke-blackened turf. They all sprang to their feet and made for the one exit, which by now was shrinking in size.
Conan Maol, in his moment of enjoying his hearty meal, failed to notice all of the commotion around him. When he finally noticed, nearly all of the Fianna had escaped, and the fact that he had far too much to eat meant that he became stuck in his chair.
However two members came back to help Conan. With all there strength they managed to haul Conan up from his chair. In gaining his freedom, Conan left most of his tunic and breeches and all the skin on his back on the chair.
Conan escaped to the outside world but was in such pain as he had no skin on his back, that all his fellow members could do was to kill a nearby black ram, and cover Conan's back with the skin. The skin took root upon Conan's back and grew, and was resident there for the rest of his life.

The Birth of Finn’s Hounds

One day Finn Mac Cumhaill and Conan sat on the Hill of Allen watching Bran and Sceolan, Finn's favorite hounds, criss-crossing the terrain, disappearing into thickets and out again staying close together always. It was Finn's custom to direct the chase from a hilltop and these two hounds were so close to their master they seemed to be able to read his mind. Finn loved them as if they were his children.
'They say that these dogs are cousins of yours,' Conan said to Finn. 'How could such a strange thing come about?'
'I'll tell you the story,' said Finn.
'My mother, Muirne, came here once to pay me a visit and she brought her sister Tuiren with her. At that time Iollan, of the Ulster branch of the Fianna, was in love with Tuiren and asked my permission to marry her. I allowed him to marry my aunt on two conditions. The first was that he would send her back here if I ordered it and the second that he would enlist the aid of the Fianna chiefs as guarantors of his promise on that matter. Now I made the Ulsterman agree to these conditions for this Iollan had a lover already, a woman of the Sidhe, the daughter of Bodb. I was afraid that in her jealousy she might use her powers to destroy Tuiren.
So Tuiren became Iollan's wife and went back with him to Ulster. Some time later, when Tuiren was expecting a child, Iollan's jealous sweetheart decided to take her revenge. She assumed the shape of one of my woman messengers and came to Tuiren with instructions from me to arrange a feast. Then she lured my aunt away from the house on the pretence of making secret arrangements for the feast. When they were some distance from the house, the woman of the Sidhe drew a dark druid's wand from under her cloak and struck Tuiren with it and changed her into a beautiful staghound or Irish Wolfhound, the most elegant and beautiful creature you could imagine. Then she brought the hound far away with her to the house of a chief called Fergus who lived in Galway. Now this chief was a byword for his lack of hospitality. He was the most unsociable being in Ireland and he particularly hated dogs. So much so that he never allowed a hound to come near any house that he was in. He was very surprised indeed, then, when Bodb's daughter, still disguised as my messenger, brought the staghound to him and said, "Finn Mac Cumhaill sends you his greetings and asks you to look after this hound till he arrives here in person. She is soon to give birth to a litter, so Finn wants you take particular care not to let her hunt too much. If she comes to any harm, Finn will not be pleased."
'"I'm very surprised to hear all this!" Fergus exclaimed. "Finn knows very well I'm an unsociable man and that I particularly dislike dogs. But I won't refuse Finn's request concerning the first hound he has ever sent me.
So Fergus took the hound and the messenger went away. Now Fergus proved true to his nature. While he still had time he decided to test the worth of my hound. He brought her to the chase one day and she ran so fast, she left the other hounds standing. That day and every day for a month she hunted down every wild animal that she saw. By then she was too heavy with the litter she was carrying to run fast and so she wasn't brought out to hunt any more. But she was such a beautiful dog and such a good hunter that even Fergus grew to love her and from then on, hounds were welcome in his house. The staghound gave birth to two pups, Bran and Sceolan, the two you see there.'
'And how did you come to get them?' Conan asked.
'When I learned that my mother's sister was no longer living in Iollan's house, I demanded that she be brought back safely to me as had been agreed in the marriage terms. I insisted that the men of the Fianna honour the pledge they had made to guarantee her safety. Lugaid was the man who had handed her over to Iollan so on him fell the job of getting her back. Lugaid told me that he would either bring back Tuiren alive, or the head of Iollan in place of her. Iollan, the Ulster chief, hurried to the dwelling of the Sidhe where his De Danaan sweetheart lived. She agreed to tell him where Tuiren was, if he would agree to take her instead of Tuiren as his wife. Iollan agreed to do this.
Then she restored Tuiren to her own natural shape and brought her to me here at Almu. She told me that Turien had been pregnant when she had turned her into hound and that the pups that were born to her could be restored to human shape if I wished. I asked that they be given back to me and that they be left as they had been born. So they are indeed kindred of mine and I love them as if they were my children.'
Centuries have passed since Finn Mac Cumhaill told this story to Conan as they sat outside the fort of Almu and watched the hounds at play, but until recent times people coming home at night near the Hill of Allen had a strange story to tell. They told of seeing two staghounds break through the thickets and lope over the slopes in the moonlight, whining an barking, and they knew that Bran and Sceolan were searching for their master, eager again for the chase. It has also been reported that if the wind is blowing down the Carlingford Lough it carries on it the howls of Finn's faithful staghounds calling out to there master who lies beneath the Coolie Mountain to once again come hunting.

Finn's Marriage

Finn married a Sidhe named Oonagh.In Irish mythology, the sídhe (pronounced shee) are a supernatural race, quite distinct from humankind. There are a number of different types of sídhe: the sluagh sídhe, the fairy host or Wild Hunt, can fly through the air and shift shape at will, the sídhe who walk the earth at dusk and the guardian sídhe of the lakes of both Ireland and Scotland. They are the remnants of the Tuatha de Danaan. According to Celtic mythology, sidhe or fairies, were the spirits of the dead. It is thought that the British Celts may have believed butterflies to be the souls of the dead, though not sidhe which were normal human-sized.

The Giant's Causeway (Finn's Most Notable Achievement)

The Giant's Causeway is one of Northern Ireland's most unusual natural wonders. It's been estimated that approximately 37,000 basalt columns extend from the cliffs down to the sea. Those closest to the shore have been eroded to form the Grand Causeway, Middle Causeway and Little Causeway as well as Chimney Stacks and the Wishing Chair, which is a part of the Middle Causeway.


The Wishing Chair
The Wishing Chair is said to have been made by legendary Finn MacCool. As a boy, he used to sit here to look out to see, and the coast of Scotland. Local legend says that anyone who makes a wish while sitting in the Wishing Chair is sure to have it come true!

Well, it so happened that Finn and his men were all working near the Causeway, when Finn, who was very fond of his wife Oonagh, took it into his head that he would go home and see how the poor woman got on in his absence, as he had not seen her for some time. So, accordingly, he pulled up a fir-tree, and, after lopping off the roots and branches, made a walking-stick of it, and set out on his way to Oonagh. Now Finn, lived at this time on the very tip-top of Knockmany Hill, which faces a cousin of its own called Cullamore, that rises up, half-hill, half-mountain, on the opposite side, which was a fair distance away.


As Finn MacCool was walking past the north coast of Ireland, near now day Portrush, one of his adversary, a Scottish giant named Benandonner, started shouting and ridiculing Finn's fighting prowess. Now Benandonner was a targer. No other giant of the day could stand before him; and such was his strength, that, when well vexed, he could give a stamp that shook the country about him. The fame and name of him went far and near; and nothing in the shape of a man, it was said, had any chance with him in a fight. By one blow of his fists he flattened a thunderbolt and kept it in his pocket, in the shape of a pancake, to show to all his enemies, when they were about to fight him. Undoubtedly he had given every giant in Ireland a considerable beating, barring Finn MacCool himself; and he swore that he would never rest, night or day, winter or summer, till he would serve Finn with the same sauce, if he could catch him. 
This outburst angered Finn so much that he lifted a lump of earth and pelted it to Scotland thus challenging Benandonner to a duel. Of course the Scottish giant retaliated by fling a rock back at Finn, at the same time shouting that if he could get his hand on him, he would make sure that Finn would never fight again, but added that unfortunately he could not swim the short distance across the Channel, so Finn would be spared that fate. 
Finn wasn't going to let the Scottish giant off that easily. He tore down great pieces of volcanic rock that lay near the coast and stood the pieces upright, making them into pillars that formed the causeway, he pushed them into the ocean bed and made a sturdy causeway to Scotland, when he had finished he shouted 'Now you'll had no excuse'. Now some say that Finn played the organ there, and others say he left his boot there and still others say his mother in law watched him doing this. I suppose you will have to visit there to find out if they are right or not. What ever the story the Scottish Giant fearing to lose his own reputation and pride, had no alternative but come over the causeway.
However, Finn was tired, he had not slept for the week as he worked on the causeway and did not feel ready for fighting, so he continued on homewards to see his beloved Oonagh and catch up on his much needed sleep.. Finn spent two or was it three happy days with Oonagh, and felt himself very comfortable, considering the dread he had of Benandonner. This, however, grew upon him so much that his wife could not but perceive something lay on his mind which he kept altogether to himself. Let a woman alone, in the meantime, for ferreting or wheedling a secret out of her good man, when she wishes. Finn was a proof of this.
"It's this Benandonner," said he, "that's troubling me. When the fellow gets angry, and begins to stamp, he'll shake you a whole townland; and it's well known that he can stop a thunderbolt, for he always carries one about him in the shape of a pancake, to show to any one that might misdoubt it."
As he spoke, he clapped his thumb in his mouth, which he always did when he wanted to prophesy, or to know anything that happened in his absence; and the wife asked him what he did it for.
"He's coming," said Finn; "I see him below Dungannon."
"Thank goodness, dear ! an' who is it, avick? Glory be to God!"
"That baste, Benandonner," replied Finn; "and how to manage I don't know. If I run away, I am disgraced; and I know that sooner or later I must meet him, for my thumb tells me so."
"When will he be here?" said she.
"Tomorrow, about two o'clock," replied Finn, with a groan.
"Well, my bully, don't be cast down," said Oonagh; "depend on me, and maybe I'll bring you better out of this scrape than ever you could bring yourself, by your rule o' thumb."
She then made a high smoke on the top of the hill, after which she put her finger in her mouth, and gave three whistles and by that Benandonner knew he was invited to Cullamore - for this was the way that the Irish long ago gave a sign to all strangers and travellers, to let them know they were welcome to come and take share of whatever was going.
In the meantime, Finn was very melancholy, and did not know what to do, or how to act at all. Benandonner was an ugly customer to meet with ; and, the idea of the "cake" aforesaid flattened the very heart within him. What chance could he have, strong and brave though he was, with a man who could, when put in a passion, walk the country into earthquakes and knock thunderbolts into pancakes? Finn knew not on what hand to turn him. Right or left-backward or forward - where to go he could form no guess whatsoever.
"Oonagh," said he, "can you do nothing for me? Where's all your invention? Am I to be skivered like a rabbit before your eyes, and to have my name disgraced for ever in the sight of all my tribe, and me the best man among them? How am I to fight this man-mountain-this huge cross between an earthquake and a thunderbolt? - with a pancake in his pocket that was once - "
"Be easy, Finn," replied Oonagh; "troth, I'm ashamed of you. Keep your toe in your pump, will you? Talking of pancakes, maybe, we'll give him as good as any he brings with him - thunderbolt or otherwise. If I don't treat him to as smart feeding as he's got this many a day, never trust Oonagh again. Leave him to me, and do just as I bid you."
This relieved Finn very much; for, after all, he had great confidence in his wife, knowing, as he did, that she had got him out of many a quandary before. Oonagh then drew the nine woollen threads of different colours, which she always did to find out the best way of succeeding in anything of importance she went about. She then platted them into three plats with three colours in each, putting one on her right arm, one round her heart, and the third round her right ankle, for then she knew that nothing could fail with her that she undertook.
Having everything now prepared, she sent round to the neighbours and borrowed one-and-twenty iron griddles, which she took and kneaded into the hearts of one-and-twenty cakes of bread, and these she baked on the fire in the usual way, setting them aside in the cupboard according as they were done. She then put down a large pot of new milk, which she made into curds and whey. Having done all this, she sat down quite contented, waiting for his arrival on the next day about two o'clock, that being the hour at which he was expected - for Finn knew as much by the sucking of his thumb. Now this was a curious property that Finn's thumb had. In this very thing, moreover, he was very much resembled by his great foe, Cucullin; for as well known that the huge strength he possessed all lay in the middle finger of his right hand, and that, if he happened by any mischance to lose it, he was no more, for all his bulk, than a common man.
At length, the next day, Benandonner was seen coming across the valley, and Oonagh knew that it was time to commence operations. She immediately brought the cradle, and made Finn to lie down in it, and cover himself up with the clothes.


"You must pass for your own child," said she; "so just lie there snug, and say nothing, but be guided by me."
About two o'clock, as he had been expected, Benandonner came in. "God save all here!" said he ; "is this where the great Finn MacCool lives?"
"Indeed it is, honest man," replied Oonagh; "God save you kindly - won't you be sitting?"
"Thank you, ma'am," says he, sitting down; "you're Mrs. MacCool, I suppose?"
"I am," said she; "and I have no reason, I hope, to be ashamed of my husband."
"No," said the other, "he has the name of being the strongest and bravest man in Ireland ; but for all that, there's a man not far from you that's very desirous of taking a shake with him. Is he at home?"
"Why, then, no," she replied; "and if ever a man left his house in a fury, he did. It appears that some one told him of a big basthoon of a giant called Benandonner being down at the Causeway to look for him, and so he set out there to try if he could catch him. Troth, I hope, for the poor giant's sake, he won't meet with him, for if he does, Finn will make paste of him at once."
"Well," said the other, "I am Benandonner, and I have been seeking him these twelve months, but he always kept clear of me; and I will never rest night or day till I lay my hands on him."
At this Oonagh set up a loud laugh, of great contempt, by-the-way, and looked at him as if he was only a mere handful of a man.
"Did you ever see Finn?" said she, changing her manner all at once.
"How could I?" said he; "he always took care to keep his distance."
"I thought so," she replied ; "I judged as much; and if you take my advice, you poor-looking creature, you'll pray night and day that you may never see him, for I tell you it will be a black day for you when you do. But, in the meantime, you perceive that the wind's on the door, and as Finn himself is from home, maybe you'd be civil enough to turn the house, for it's always what Finn does when he's here."
This was a startler even to Benandonner; but he got up, however, and after pulling the middle finger of his right hand until it cracked three times, he went outside, and getting his arms about the house, turned it as she had wished. When Finn saw this, he felt the sweat of fear oozing out through every pore of his skin; but Oonagh, depending upon her woman's wit, felt not a whit daunted.
"Arrah, then," said she, "as you are so civil, maybe you'd do another obliging turn for us, as Finn's not here to do it himself. You see, after this long stretch of dry weather we've had, we feel very badly off for want of water. Now, Finn says there's a fine spring-well somewhere under the rocks behind the hill here below, and it was his intention to pull them asunder; but having heard of you, he left the place in such a fury, that he never thought of it. Now, if you try to find it, troth I'd feel it a kindness."
She then brought Benandonner down to see the place, which was then all one solid rock; and, after looking at it for some time, he cracked his right middle finger nine times, and, stooping down, tore a cleft about four hundred feet deep, and a quarter of a mile in length, which has since been christened by the name of Lumford's Glen.
"You'll now come in, said she, " and eat a bit of such humble fare as we can give you. Finn, even although he and you are enemies, would scorn not to treat you kindly in his own house; and, indeed, if I didn't do it even in his absence, he would not be pleased with me."
She accordingly brought him in, and placing half-a-dozen of the cakes we spoke of before him, together with a can or two of butter, a side of boiled bacon, and a stack of cabbage, she desired him to help himself-for this, be it known, was long before the invention of potatoes. Benandonner put one of the cakes in his mouth to take a huge whack out of it, when he made a thundering noise, something between a growl and a yell. "Blood and fury !" he shouted; "how is this? Here are two of my teeth out! What kind of bread this is you gave me."
"What's the matter?" said Oonagh coolly.
"Matter I" shouted the other again ; "why, here are the two best teeth in my head gone."
"Why," said she, "that's Finn's bread - the only bread he ever eats when at home; but, indeed, I forgot to tell you that nobody can eat it but himself, and that child in the cradle there. I thought, however, that, as you were reported to be rather a stout little fellow of your size, you might be able to manage it, and I did not wish to affront a man that thinks himself able to fight Finn. Here's another cake-maybe it's not so hard as that."
Benandonner at the moment was not only hungry, but ravenous, so he accordingly made a fresh set at the second cake, and immediately another yell was heard twice as loud as the first. "Thunder and gibbets ,' he roared, "take your bread out of this, or I will not have a tooth in my head; there's another pair of them gone!"
Well, honest man," replied Oonagh, " if you're not able to eat the bread, say so quietly, and don't be wakening the child in the cradle there. There, now, he's awake upon me."
Finn now gave a skirl that startled the giant, as coming from such a youngster as he was supposed to be.

"Mother" said be, "I'm hungry - get me something to eat." Oonagh went over, and putting into his hand a cake that had no griddle in it, Finn, whose appetite in the meantime had been sharpened by seeing eating going forward, soon swallowed it. Benandonner was thunderstruck, and secretly thanked his stars that he had the good fortune to miss meeting Finn, for, as he said to himself, "I'd have no chance with a man who could eat such bread as that, which even his son that's but in his cradle can munch before my eyes."
"I'd like to take a glimpse at the lad in the cradle," said he to Oonagh; "for I can tell you that the infant who can manage that nutriment is no joke to look at or to feed of a scarce summer."
"With all the veins of my heart," replied Oonagh; "get up, acushla, and show this decent little man something that won't be unworthy of your father, Finn MacCool."
Finn, who was dressed for the occasion as much like a boy as possible, got up, and bringing Benandonner out, "Are you strong?" said he.
"Thunder an' ounds!" exclaimed the other, "what a voice in so small a chap !"
"Are you strong?" said Finn again; "are you able to squeeze water out of that white stone ?" he asked, putting one into Benandonner's hand. The latter squeezed and squeezed the stone, but in vain.
"Ah, you're a poor creature!" said Finn. "You a giant! Give me the stone here, and when I'll show what Finn's little son can do, you may then judge of what my daddy himself is."
Finn then took the stone, and exchanging it for the curds, he squeezed the latter until the whey, as clear as water, oozed out in a little shower from his hand.
" I'll now go in," said he, "to my cradle; for I scorn to lose my time with any one that's not able to eat my daddy's bread, or squeeze water out of a stone. Bedad, you had better be off out of this before he comes back; for if he catches you, it's in flummery he'd have you in two minutes."
Benandonner, seeing what he had seen, was of the same opinion himself; his knees knocked together with the terror of Finn's return, and he accordingly hastened to bid Oonagh farewell, and to assure her, that from that day out, he never wished to hear of, much less to see, her husband.
"I admit fairly that I'm not a match for him," said he, strong as I am; tell him I will avoid him as I would the plague, and that I will make myself scarce in this part of the country while I live."
Finn, in the meantime, had gone into the cradle, where he lay very quietly, his heart at his mouth with delight that Benandonner was about to take his departure, without discovering the tricks that had been played off on him.
"It's well for you," said Oonagh, "that he doesn't happen to be here, for it's nothing but hawk's meat he'd make of you."
"I know that," says Benandonner; "Devil a thing else he'd make of me; but before I go, will you let me feel what kind of teeth Finn's lad has got that can eat griddle-bread like that?"
"With all pleasure in life," said she ; " only, as they're far back in his head, you must put your finger a good way in."
Benandonner was surprised to find such a powerful set of grinders in one so young; but he was still much more so on finding, when he took his hand from Finn's mouth, that he had left the very finger upon which his whole strength depended, behind him. At this point Finn climbed out of the cot and towered above the Scottish giant. This terrified him. In fear of meeting the father of this child he turned on his heels and ran like he had never ran before, back across the causeway to Scotland destroying the Causeway as he went.


Finn chases Benandonner back to Scotland, flinging huge lumps of earth after him. One of the large holes he creates fills with water and becomes Lough Neagh, the largest lake in Northern Ireland. One large lump of earth misses Benandonner and falls into the Irish Sea; this lump is now known as the Isle of Man. One small rock lands on the top of Slieve Martin and is now known as the Cloughmore Stone.
Final Finn hits Benandonner with a large rock and Benandonner gives one loud groan, and fall down at once with terror and weakness. This was all Finn wanted, he now knew that his most powerful and bitterest enemy was at his mercy and in a few minutes the great Benandonner, lay as a corpse before him. 
Thus did Finn, through the wit and invention of Oonagh, his wife, succeed in overcoming his enemy by cunning, which he never could have done by force. Benandonner's grave may still be seen at Omeath to this very day!!

Finn Joins The Fianna

Now Finn had finally come of age and decided that it was about time he joined the Fianna and take his rightful place. There was on obstical in his way however the ever menacing Cool Mac Trenmor. Due to his size and wit Finn easily humbled the proud Mac Trenmor, who later became one of his most trusted soldiers. Finn now joined the Fianna to rightfully take his father's place. 
The Fianna comprised of warriors who protected Erin from outside marauders. They also acted as mediators when conflicts arose between the five lesser kingdoms of Erin, namely Ulster, Munster, Connacht, Leinster and Mide. Every Fianna member was required to pledge their allegiance to Finn, the Captain of the Fianna of Erin. A compulsory oath also had to be made to Cormac, the High King of Erin. Any man wanting to join the Fianna had to pass a number of tasks, varying in their difficulty. Any hint of frailty among the man taking the test would mean an immediate failure. Finn, the warrior that he was, still had a caring side. It is known that he only shed tears twice in his life, one for the death of his favourite hound dog, Bran, and secondly when his grandson, Osca died.
Cormac gave Finn the hill-fort of Almu, in Kildare. The fort was a great stronghold for Finn. It was a place where Finn could pleasantly reside as well as conduct strategic meetings with his chief warriors. Finn's stronghold is now called the Hill of Allen, and what little remains of it can still be seen in Kildare.

Grania’s Well

The aging Finn Macool, was about to marry Grania when at the wedding feast Grania became enchanted with Diarmaid, organized her servants to give a sleeping draught to the guests and her future husband and eloped with Diarmaid. The lovers fled from Finn MacCool’s wrath and lived rough for 16 years. Diarmaid and Finn made an uneasy truce and the couple returned to Diarmaid’s ancenstral lands. However, Diarmaid died indirectly at Finn’s hands when Finn failed to heal Diarmaid with water from a Spring Well. Eventually Finn took Grainne for his partner, though she mourned Diarmaid’s death in seclusion for many years. Grania eventually committed suicide, but her tears for Duirmaid were so profuse that they formed a well!


It is not known how Finn died or indeed if he is dead at all. Legend states that he is in fact sleeping in a cave, waiting to awaken and defend Ireland in her greatest hour of need. I think he is under Coolie Mountain myself.

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