Tír na nÓg

Finn McCool was a friendly giant that devoted his life to helping the High Kings and people of Ireland. He lived long, long ago, yet there are many well-known legends about him. Have you ever wondered how these legends have survived hundreds of years??

Well, Finn had a son named Oisín that followed in his father's footsteps and devoted his life to the High Kings and people of Ireland. He was a warrior with the Fianna and traveled all over Ireland. One day when he was out in the countryside he saw a beautiful young woman with long red hair that glistened in the sun. She rode a spirited white horse that had a touch of wildness and magic in its eyes. Her name was Niamh and her father was the king of Tír na nÓg.

Niamh and Oisín quickly fell in love and together they rode to the land of Tír na nÓg. It was a magical land where no one ever went hungry or felt sick. The most beautiful music played and every night they would feast on the most delicious food.

Oisín was happy in the land of Tír na nÓg, but he missed Ireland and his heart longed to go back. Tir Na nOg is the land of eternal youth, and while It felt like he had only been there a few weeks, 300 years had passed. Niamh gave Oisín her magical white horse to travel to Ireland. Niamh warned Oisín that if he got off the horse's back, time would catch up with him and he would become old and sick, and his hair would turn grey. He could use the magical horse to travel but he must never step a foot onto Ireland's soil.

When Oisín visited Ireland he would sit on the horse's back and people would gather to hear the stories of his father, Finn McCool and how he protected the High Kings. He told them his father's stories about the Salmon of Knowledge, the Giant's Causeway, and his fight with Benandonner, the giant from Scotland. And this is why although hundreds of years have passed we still remember the legends of Finn McCool.

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