Fact Box
Although located at Northern Ireland’s most visited attraction, Finn MacCool’s was only surfed for the first time in February 2011 by local legend Al Mennie and Devon surfer Andrew Cotton. It’s a wave that has only been surfed by 4 people previously – Al, Cotty and their mates Axi Munain and Lyndon Wake.
Legend has it, Finn MacCool, a local giant, sculpted the causeway to bridge Northern Ireland and Scotland in order to fight a competing giant, Benandonner. Upon realising how enormous his opponent was he wrapped himself in a blanket, pretending to be his own child, thus causing Benandonner to flee fearing he was about to confront a ‘real’ giant. Science says the causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption – we much prefer the ‘blarney’ explanation!
Which came first, Finn or Finn’s? A lot of people have asked me is their any connection between my name and the naming of the break – I was born in Rostrevor, Co. Down and my parent’s house looked across the sea to the Cooley mountain’s where legend says Finn MacCool is buried and a lot of the stories are set where I grew up so that’s how my parents came to choose my name. It’s just a funny coincidence that the break was named Finn MacCool’s and I ended up surfing it later on in life but kinda cool twist in the tale too.
West and east of the Giant’s causeway lies some of the best beach break surfing in Ireland with the nearby town of Portrush as the centre of surf culture in the area. Check out local hero and multiple Irish Surfing Champion Andy Hill’s website Troggs.com for more information on surfing on the North Coast.
