Finn McCoul

by Brian Gleeson

The giant Finn McCoul, nervous about a forthcoming confrontation with the great Cucullin, flees to his castle on top of Knockmany Hill and appeals to his clever wife, Oonagh, for help in outwitting his opponent. Read by Catherine O'Hara. Music by Boys of the Lough.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Ireland

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Finn McCoul” is an Irish folktale from the creative company Rabbit Ears Productions and is about how Finn McCoul must face his nemesis Cuculin and only his wife, Una, knows how to handle the giant brute. “Finn McCoul” is a great tale about true cunning that many children will enjoy for many years.

When Finn McCoul was born, he was no bigger than a fire-breathing dragon, which was too small for a giant. King Coul, Finn’s father, was so displeased at the size of his son that he throws Finn over the castle wall and into the water. Luckily, King Coul’s mother sees Finn in the water and she saves him from drowning and she decides to raise the boy herself in the woods. Many years later, Finn grows up into a man and he decided to leave his grandmother to become a great hero. Eventually, Finn finds a giant woman named Una who was extremely beautiful and they got married and lived on top of a mountain in a castle.

However, the reason why Finn made his home on top of the mountain was because it was the only way to avoid Cuculin. Cuculin was a fearsome giant who once flatten a thunderbolt into a pancake and he would always show it to his foes to remind them of the beating they are about to receive from him. Cuculin tried to find Finn McCoul, but Finn would always run away from him before battle. One day, Finn was helping his friends build the causeway from Ireland to Scotland when he started gnawing on his thumb. Whenever Finn starts gnawing on his thumb, he immediately sees the future and he found out that Cuculin was coming after him and he decided to go straight home to Una. When Finn got home, he told Una about Cuculin and she tells Finn that she needs time to think about how to deal with Cuculin.

What is Una’s plan and can Finn defeat Cuculin?

Read this book to find out!

Catherine O’Hara does a splendid job narrating this story especially as she uses an Irish accent so effectively to narrate this heroic Irish tale. Boys of the Lough’s music is beautiful and truly captures the true spirit of Irish music as the tunes are cheerful and old fashioned. Peter deSeve’s illustrations are beautiful and hilarious at the same time, especially during the scenes of Cuculin lifting up Finn’s house to make the wind move away from the house as he was instructed by Una to do so.

“Finn McCoul” is a wonderful tale from Ireland about how it is wise to be cunning whenever a bully threatens you and it will be an instant classic for children who love comedy and folktales. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since there are some Irish names that might be too hard for smaller children to pronounce such as “Cuculin” and “Una.”

For other Rabbit Ears titles, check out:

The Fool and the Flying Ship

Follow the Drinking Gourd

John Henry

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Julia Jasztal · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Mommy's review from 3/23/12)


I didn't read this with Julia, my Mom did, so I can't comment on the story or illustrations. I had planned on rereading it with her, or by myself even, so I could comment but flipping through it I realized I don't want to. Nothing bad on the book, I'm just not in the mood and it's a little long for me to deal with at the moment.
I meant to ask my Mom for her thoughts but I forgot and she's not here so we're left with Julia's thoughts, which are, and I quote, "Five stars! Loved it!"
Apparently she now thinks that whenever I ask her if she liked a book it's because it's getting reviewed an rated on GR. :)
So... Julia says it's great and the kid isn't usually wrong so I'd say go get it.

[Ashley B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about a giant, Finn, who has to face the meanest giant of them all. The mean giant, Cucullin, has been tracking Finn for a year, but Finn always ran away. One day, Finn's wife, Oonagh, helped Finn figure out how to defeat Cucullin. Oonagh had Finn pretend to be a baby and "show up" Cucullin. Finn ended up victorious at the end of the en-devour. This was a humorous book and the illustrations were fantastic. I enjoyed reading this tale.

[Kiersten Koch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This tale is about Finn McCoul, the son of the King of Ireland, who despised his son for being small. His father threw him into the loch, but his grandmother saved him and raised him. Finn becomes a large and strong man, and is afraid the giant Cucullin is coming after him. His wife, Oonagh, tries to appease Cucullin so that he will not go after Finn. When Cucullin shows up to Finn's house, his wife invites him inside and they dress Finn up as a baby. Oonagh tries to attack Cucullin, but instead hits Finn on the head, and Finn accidentally bites down on the finger of Cucullin that gives him his size. Cucullin then shrinks to the size of a mouse. This book can be useful for children to show that just because someone looks big and strong does not give them the right to be a bully.

[Kaci Beesecker]

Finn McCool is the largest giant and greatest champion in all of Ireland. He is a fierce warrior, he's gentle and kind, but he's not smart. When he discovers that the brutish giant Cucullin is after him, even the great Finn gets a wee bit nervous. A wise man tells Finn about a magical red salmon who has the wisdom of the world, Finn sets out to catch the fish. And he learns a thing or two about himself in the process.

This book could be used in the classroom for many lessons. To start out with, you can have them do an activity after listening to the read-aloud and have them circle which sentences are true about the story. For an older age group, you could use the scenario when Finn wanted to get a job and have the students fill out a job application.

[Rochelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story and characters of FINN MCCOUL are enjoyable enough but it's the artwork that shines here. Peter de Seve's illustrations are masterful.