On his way travelling north into the next county, Karl had a run-in with authorities: “the first words one receives as a greeting are from a big policeman and this is what he said to me: Here you, don’t you know it’s against the rules of Oireland to roide on the footpath. Shure an if you don’t be after getting off moighty sudden oi’ll arrest you and have you foined two pound tin.” and with that stern warning, Karl rode on.
As reported by Karl to the Montreal Star:
“...and finally, the Giant’s Causeway is approached. The Causeway is a wonderful natural production, consisting of 40,000 vertical basaltic columns, packed closely together and were they all the same height, the whole would look like a paved flooring. As nearly all the columns are six-sided, although a few of them are triangular, and some five and seven-sided- only one octagon has been found, and it is called the ‘KeyStone’.
The Causeway which projects farther into the sea than either of the other parts is about 700 feet long by 350 broad. Some of the columns rise to a height of 40 feet. In one particular spot they rise to different heights, and form what resembles an armchair which has been named the ‘Wishing Chair,’ and scarcely a person goes to see the Causeway without sitting in it and wishing for one thing or another.
I went thirty miles out of my way on purpose to see this famous Giant’s Causeway and when I arrived at the place it was all fenced in and it costs one a shilling admission, and when a person sits in the ‘Wishing Chair’ or takes a drink from the well in the rocks, the attendants standing by are offended if anything less than a six-penny bit is offered them, also, when a new arrival puts in an appearance, he is tormented by guides and boatmen from the moment he arrives until the tram takes him back into Portrush* again”.
I feel like Karl was impressed at the geology of the Giant’s Causeway but perhaps less impressed with what the visit cost him. A shilling admission, which had the value of 12 British Pence, or 25 Canadian Cents, is equivalent in today’s currency to 8 Canadian Dollars. A “six-penny bit” or sixpence is half of that. Ironically, I suspect Karl would have been happier visiting the Giant’s Causeway today as you can walk to the stones for free! Although if you want the full experience (i.e. guided tour, audio guides, access to the shop, cafe and exhibition), you will have to pay 13 British Pound, about 30 Canadian Dollars.
I’d suggest that if you have to travel thirty miles out your way, even if you were travelling on a bicycle, visiting the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland's only UNESCO World Heritage Site, is well worth it.
So this “wonderful natural production” was, in fact, an ancient volcanic eruption over 50 million years ago, resulting in the 40,000 interlocking basalt columns that comprise the Giant's Causeway. It’s beyond impressive, whereby the hexagonal columns appear like stepping stones going into the sea and rise to 12 metres high in some places. But that was a long time ago, so who knows for sure if that happened? I prefer the alternative theory that Giants built the causeway!
According to legend, a gentle Irish giant named Finn MacCool, who was, by giant standards, relatively small at just under 53 feet tall, was challenged to a fight by Benandonner, the Scottish Giant. Finn accepted the challenge, and for the two giants to meet, Finn built a path across the sea. But the building of the path tired Finn out, and when he got home, he fell asleep with exhaustion.
While he was sleeping, Benandonner crossed the causeway and was seen by Oonagh, Finn’s wife, who noted that he was much larger than Finn and would easily defeat her husband. So she quickly put a nightgown and a bonnet on the sleeping Finn. When Benandonner arrived, demanding to see Finn, Oonagh indicated that he needed to be quiet to not disturb the sleeping baby. At this Benandonner became worried, if the baby was big, then how much bigger would Finn, the father be? He didn’t want to find out and promptly ran back across the causeway to Scotland, destroying it in his wake.
Now all that remains of the causeway are the basalt columns in Northern Ireland and across the sea in Scotland. The decision is yours: science or legend? Volcano giant? Lava or Finn MacCool?
I know what I believe.
*By the turn of the 20th century, Portrush had become one of the major resort towns of Ireland, and the nearby Giant's Causeway was a popular tourist destination. In 1893 the Giant's Causeway Tramway was built to cater to the travellers coming from Portrush. At 14.9 km long, it was the first long electric tramway in the world.