The old myth roughly goes that there was only one creature wiser than man… a fish named Fintan. It was said that eating dear Fintan would grant all the knowledge in the world.
But let’s start at the beginning. The story tells of an ordinary little fish that ate nine hazelnuts which had fallen into the Well of Wisdom from the hazel trees that surrounded the well. In doing so, the fish gained all the world’s knowledge. It was said that the first person to eat our learn’ed friend would, in turn, gain this knowledge.
One day, after years of trying, a poet named Finn Eces caught poor Fintan and handed him to his young companion Fionn, with instructions not to eat it. Fionn cooked the fish, turning it over and over, but alas, touching its scale-y hide to inspect whether it was cooked he burnt his thumb! Fionn sucked on his scolded digit to ease the pain. Little did Fionn know that all of Fintan’s wisdom had been concentrated into that one little drop of fish fat.
When he presented the cooked meal, Finn saw that the boy’s eyes shone with a wisdom reviously unseen. He asked Fionn if he had eaten any of the fish despite his instructions.
The boy explained what had happened. Realising what had transpired before him, Fionn was allowed to eat the fish and in so doing indeed gained all the knowledge of the world. Throughout the rest of his life, Fionn drew upon this knowledge merely by biting his thumb. The deep wisdom gained from the Fish of Knowledge allowed Fionn to become leader of his people, a famed hero of repute.
Well, we certainly can’t promise that eating our freshly-caught, beautifully battered fish will give you instant wisdom too, but we can promise it’ll sure be tasty finding out!
Our founder Spiro—having himself searched for the perfect fish and chip since 1989—is proud to say finally, with assured wisdom, it’s arrived! Fintans is pleased to bring you locally sourced produce with everything to satisfy your hungry belly. Delicious, light and fluffy chips accompanied with everything from glorious haddock to supreme scampi.
We hope you enjoy, and find the wisdom to follow the lighthouse back to Fintans soon!