Tuesday 30 March 2010
Saturday 27 March 2010
The Glens of County Antrim - Nine Valleys of Splendor
The Glens of County Antrim a well known, they are made up of nine green valleys, each with their own character, which together make up a splendid display of natural wonders. This is a realm of elemental beauty, wild flowers, birds, rivers and waterfalls. These glens are named Glenarm, Glenariff, Glencloy, Glenballyeamon, Glencorp, Glenaan, Glenshesk, Glendun, and Glentaisie.
These Glens have been the inspiration for a wealth of Irish mythology and legend, and people living in the glens are renowned for their storytelling skills, and they tell many tales of the fairies and the wee folk (little people). Because of the isolation of the Glens it was also one of the last places in Northern Ireland where Gaelic was still spoken.
County Antrim is also world famous for the Giants Causeway. This is a mass of tightly packed basalt columns. The tops of these form stepping stones, leading from a cliff and downwards before they disappear into the sea. I don't know exactly who took the time to count them, but there are 40 000 of these mostly hexagonal stone columns. The tallest of these is 40 feet high, and they have an almost lunar landscape look about them.
This sight is so prepossessing that caused the ancient Irish to be completely awestruck. To quote Thackery in his thoughts on the Giants Causeway "When the world was moulded and fashioned out of formless chaos, this must have been the bit over - a remnant of chaos."
Unlike Thackery who had read that this natural wonder was created by volcanic eruptions, when the lava cooled, the Ancient Irish knew better. Being the storytellers they are, to them this geological freak was the work of giants. One in particular; Finn McCool! He was an Ulster warrior in command of the armies of the King of Ireland. He was a giant who could perform amazing feats of strength; he obeyed no law, paid no rent and fell in love with a lady giant from Staffa in the Hebrides. He built the causeway so they could walk across the sea and be together in Ulster.
These Glens have been the inspiration for a wealth of Irish mythology and legend, and people living in the glens are renowned for their storytelling skills, and they tell many tales of the fairies and the wee folk (little people). Because of the isolation of the Glens it was also one of the last places in Northern Ireland where Gaelic was still spoken.
County Antrim is also world famous for the Giants Causeway. This is a mass of tightly packed basalt columns. The tops of these form stepping stones, leading from a cliff and downwards before they disappear into the sea. I don't know exactly who took the time to count them, but there are 40 000 of these mostly hexagonal stone columns. The tallest of these is 40 feet high, and they have an almost lunar landscape look about them.
This sight is so prepossessing that caused the ancient Irish to be completely awestruck. To quote Thackery in his thoughts on the Giants Causeway "When the world was moulded and fashioned out of formless chaos, this must have been the bit over - a remnant of chaos."
Unlike Thackery who had read that this natural wonder was created by volcanic eruptions, when the lava cooled, the Ancient Irish knew better. Being the storytellers they are, to them this geological freak was the work of giants. One in particular; Finn McCool! He was an Ulster warrior in command of the armies of the King of Ireland. He was a giant who could perform amazing feats of strength; he obeyed no law, paid no rent and fell in love with a lady giant from Staffa in the Hebrides. He built the causeway so they could walk across the sea and be together in Ulster.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Simon_Haughtone
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