On Sunday, the 35 of us headed up the north coast to see the Giant’s Causeway, a geological formation of more than 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns formed during the Paleocene Epoch.

Group of NAFAns in front of Dunluce Castle

Group photo on the drive of the Northern Irish coast, in front of Dunluce Castle

With a high of 22°C (71°F) and clear skies, we could not have asked for a more perfect day. Our guide for the journey was Connor—a gregarious Belfast native with a love of Irish music, a superstitious streak, and a clear gift for spinning a yarn. None of us are quite certain which of his many stories were true. Personally, I don’t doubt that Connor’s uncle played with Van Morrison or that Connor ran into Gerry Adams on a street corner; I am much more skeptical, however, about his tale of the butter-loving fairy that lives in a bush.

A close-up shot of the tightly packed, interlocking hexagonal stones of the Giant's Causeway, showcasing the uniform, crack-like patterns of the ancient volcanic rock.

Giant’s Causeway

At any rate, Connor provided us with a lovely retelling of the Causeway legend. In Irish lore, Finn MacCool built the causeway to challenge Benandonner, a giant living across the Irish Sea in Scotland. However, when Finn crossed the causeway and saw the much larger Benandonner in the distance, he became frightened and ran home to his wife, Oonagh. Benandonner, enraged by the Irish trespasser, followed Finn across the causeway. Oonagh, far cleverer than her husband, dressed Finn as a baby and placed him in a cradle. When Benandonner entered the McCool home and saw the enormous “baby,” he assumed the child’s father must be a fearsome giant and fled back across the causeway, smashing it behind him as he went.

I had hoped to learn a little more about the environmental history of the Causeway while wandering among the rocks, but I quickly lost patience with my audio guide and instead contented myself with enjoying the spectacular landscape and glorious weather.

NAFAn, Mary Swanson, sitting with legs outstretched on the rock that makes up Giant's Causeway

Mary Swanson on the Giant’s Causeway

After leaving the Causeway, we had a three-course lunch at Bushmills, one of the oldest whiskey distilleries in the world. After sorting out which combinations of starters, mains, and desserts we had all ordered the week prior, we drove back along the north coast to Belfast while Connor treated us to Irish music and more tales of dubious veracity.

It was a delightful start to the 2026 tour, especially since much of the group was still battling jet lag and grateful for the chance to catch some extra sleep on the coach.

-Mary Swanson (she/hers)
Program Director, Office for Scholarship and Fellowship Advising
Colorado State University