Legend says that Fionn Mac Cumhaill was challenged to a fight by a Scottish giant named Benandonner. In order for them to meet, Fionn Mac Cumhaill created the Giant's Causeway, which a series of "steps" in the ocean, in order to be able to walk across. These days, you can actually visit the Giant's Causeway, it's such a beautiful place! I recommend you look up some pictures of what it looks like. These famous stories are even said to be relatively young compared to other Irish Folklore.
Sometimes, different cultures can have different explanations for the same natural phenomena. Recently, I took a trip to Blackrock Castle and Observatory, which highlights the history of astronomy in Ireland, from scientific achievements like the Leviathan — which was the largest telescope in the world for over 70 years — to the Celtic legends of the stars. When we look up into the sky at night, there are a few constellations that are easy to find, most famously: Orion. Orion's belt is easy to find because of the big red giant star, Betelgeuse. According to Irish folklore, Orion is actually a massive warrior holding a bow, named Cú Chulainn (hound of Culann).
One legend of Cú Chulainn is in his association with a cailleach (old woman, hag or “veiled one”), and her name was Mal. Cailleach women were enormous beings associated with land and sea, the changing of the seasons, throwing of stones, and embodiment of feminine beauty and the cycle of life and death. It is said that Ireland’s great craggy landscape was created from Mal dropping her stones. She is seen as both a divine motherly figure and a raging storming witch of the sea.
