The legend of Fionn MacCumhaill (Finn MacCool)

Finn was the son of Cumhail who fought for the position of leader of the Fianna

an warrior body of ancient Ireland who guarded the High King. Cumhail was killed and his wife feared for their son’s life so she sent him away to be raised by a Druidess and her sister who were strong and wise women.

A druid, Fingeas, caught the Salmon of Knowledge and gave it to Finn to cook. As he was cooking it, Finn burned his thumb and sucked it, in the process acquiring the gift of prophecy.

Finn uses his gift wisely and gains command of the Fianna by saving the life of the High King Cormac who then promises his daughter, Gráinne, to him as his wife. Finn turns the Fianna from an unruly mob of fighters into a highly respected elite who were meant to be models of chivalry.

Finn is a respected warrior and has a number of wives. However one of his passions is with the goddess Sadhbh (Sive) with whom he has a son, Oisín.

One of the best known of Finn’s legends is that he is responsible for the formation of the Giant’s Causeway in Co. Antrim. A Scottish giant named Angus has cast aspersions on Finn’s fighting prowess. Finn throws a rock into the sea, challenging the giant to a fight. The two giants, Finn and Angus, begin to build a pathway across the sea to fight each other. But Finn is concerned because Angus is supposed to be twice his size. The night before the causeway is finished and the fight will take place, Finn and his wife Una make giant baby clothes and a giant cradle. Finn gets into the cradle in the baby clothes. Angus arrives at Finn’s castle where Una shows him Finn masquerading as a baby. The Scottish giant is now terrified as he thinks that if this is the baby, Finn himself must be a monster. He runs away, back across the causeway, with Finn in pursuit, lumps of earth being pounded out of the ground after him. One of the holes that he creates is filled with water and becomes Lough Neagh, the biggest lake in Ireland. Another lump falls into the Irish Sea and becomes the Isle of Man.

According to folklore, Finn MacCool is not dead but sleeping in a cave, waiting to defend Ireland should the need arise. (Although other tales say that he died defending the Fianna.)

Oisín and Tir Na Nóg

Tír na nÓg means The Land of the Young and was an enchanted island off the west coast of Ireland where everyone was young and beautiful and had no illness or unhappiness. It was home to the Tuatha de Dannan, the last band of gods and goddesses to rule Ireland.

Oisín, Finn’s son, was a member of the Fianna. One day he was out hunting when he saw a beautiful young woman named Niamh (Neeve). She was the daughter of the King of Tír na nÓg and she asks Oisín to marry her and to come to her country. So he agrees to this but eventually he dreams of coming home. Niamh agrees that he should visit Ireland but warns him that he can’t set foot on the soil. She gives him a fairy horse on which to make his journey. When he gets back to Ireland, Oisín realises that 300 years have passed and that all his friends and everything he knew is now gone. He decides to go back to Tír na nÓg. On the way back he sees a group of men trying to lift a heavy rock. He bends down to help them but he falls from his horse and immediately turns into an old, blind man. He wanders around Ireland for years and eventually meets St Patrick and tells him his story. He dies without ever getting back to Tír na nÓg.

Diarmuid & Gráinne

Gráinne was promised to Finn MacCool but she fell in love with his nephew Diarmuid. She puts a spell on him to make him run away with her, even though he is torn by this as he doesn’t want to disobey his leader, Finn. They spend 16 years evading Finn, not being able to spend more than 2 consecutive nights in any one place, and partly aided by other warriors of the Fianna who know that Diarmuid is under a spell and can’t help himself. Diarmuid eventually falls in love with Gráinne and they have children and make a kind of peace with Finn. But one night they hear the sound of a boar in the woods and Diarmuid goes to kill it. He does but is mortally wounded. He asks Finn for water to cure him and Finn refuses twice before eventually giving it to him, too late.