Fingal

views updated May 29 2018

Fingal a character in an epic poem by the Scottish poet James Macpherson (1736–96), based on the legendary Irish hero Finn mac Cool but fictionally transformed and depicted as fighting both the Norse invaders and the Romans (under Caracalla) from an invented kingdom in NW Scotland.
Fingal's Cave a cave on the island of Staffa in the Inner Hebrides, noted for the clustered basaltic pillars that form its cliffs. It is said to have been the inspiration of Mendelssohn's overture The Hebrides (also known as Fingal's Cave), but in fact he noted down the principal theme before his visit to Staffa.