- Finn McCool and the Giant’s Causeway: A relatively recent (1760) English language tradition transposes a giant Finn McCool (assuming the name of Fionn mac Cumhaill from the Irish heroic tradition) as builder of the hexagonal basalt causeway across the sea to Scotland to challenge his rival, the giant Benandonner. Upon seeing the Scot’s immense size, Finn fled back, disguising himself as a baby with his wife’s help, causing Benandonner to retreat in fear, tearing up the causeway behind him. The so called legend was invented by Scotland’s James Macpherson and is not mentioned in any of the Irish manuscripts.
- Robert Bruce and the spider on Rathlin Island: John Barbour ‘s book The Brus (c1377) gives and account of Robert Bruce spending time on Rathlin to meet with Irish leaders and being inspired by his watching a spider persevere in the face of adversity. Bruce and his followers used Rathlin Island as a base in 1306-1307 after six successive defeats in Scotland, strategically located for communication with Ireland. The story reappeared n David Hume’s “The History of the House of Douglas” (1643) but it is the hugely influential S cottish writer Walter Scott who implanted thee specific spider story in popular culture the 19th century, transforming it into a powerful moral lesson. Physical landmarks like Bruce’s Cave and Bruce’s Castle still exist.
- The Children of Lir’s Exile in the Sea of Moyle: In this sorrowful tale, the four children of King Lir were transformed into swans by their jealous stepmother and condemned to spend 300 years on the stormy Sea of Moyle (between Antrim and Scotland). They endured bitter cold and separation until a saint’s bell finally broke the spell, though they aged and died soon after.
- The Grey Man of Fair Head: A cloaked spectral figure, known as the Grey Man, is said to stride along the towering cliffs of Fair Head near Ballycastle during brewing storms, gazing out to sea. This ghostly guardian is linked to ancient gods or lost sailors, warning of impending danger on the wild north Antrim coast.
- Deirdre of the Sorrows’ Return to Ballycastle: The tragic beauty Deirdre, fleeing exile in Scotland with her lover Naoise and his brothers, landed at Ballycastle Bay beneath Fair Head upon her return to Ulster. Betrayed by King Conchobar, the lovers met their doomed fate, marking this rugged coastline with enduring sorrow in Ulster Cycle legend.
- Ossian’s Lament from Rathlin Island: Connected to the Fenian Cycle, the warrior-poet Ossian (Oisín), son of Fionn mac Cumhaill, is associated with Rathlin Island traditions. After returning aged from the land of eternal youth, his tales of the Fianna and lost heroic age echo in local folklore, with the island said to have been formed by Finn’s mother in a mythical mishap
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