Giant's Causeway: 45 pounds of coins removed from Co Antrim heritage spot

More than 45 pounds of coins - the equivalent of some 10,000 coins - have been removed from Giant's Causeway in Co Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Tourists who visit the World Heritage Site have been wedging coins into the basalt columns for some 40 years, though the practice has seen an uptick in the past decade or so.

However, in 2023, geologists from the British Geological Survey concluded that the insertion of coins into the fractures at Giant's Causeway was having a detrimental impact on the basalt rock, both aesthetically and physically.

A huge project to remove the coins, which was launched last year after the partial collapse of one of the columns, recently concluded. 

"It is a relief; the coins were doing a significant amount of damage," Dr. Cliff Henry, nature engagement officer with the UK National Trust, told BBC Radio Foyle this week.

"These coins were rusting and expanding and were capable of pressing the whole column of rock above them, pushing them up," Dr. Henry said.

The UK National Trust, in partnership with Causeway Coast & Glens Heritage Trust, employed specialists in stone conservation to remove as many of the coins as possible without causing further damage.

Specialist stonemason Nathan Morrow was instrumental in the operation.

"He found it satisfying but frustrating at the same time," Dr. Henry said of Morrow's assistance. "It was fiddly work, and frustrating work."

Dr. Henry continued: "Some coins were quite well stuck. He found if he got them to move at all, if he worked them forward and back, eventually he would be able to get them out. "

Throughout the duration of the project, 20.5kg (45lbs) of coins were removed from the basalt columns, equivalent to some 10,000 coins. They were mostly UK pounds and Euros, though some US currency was in the mix as well.

Upon completion of the project, staff said they'll continue to monitor the situation and regularly remove any newly deposited coins.

Thankfully, they believe their 2025 appeal, which garnered global media coverage and reached an audience of 3.3 billion, has had a positive impact as areas that were cleared of coins have attracted very few nearly inserted coins since the project began.

"We continue to appeal to visitors to help us protect the Giant's Causeway by stopping the practice," staff noted.