Coins of misfortune: Giant's Causeway faces new tourism threat
Giant's Causeway, one of the most vital natural sites in Northern Ireland, is facing a new threat. Tourists are leaving coins in the crevices of the basalt columns, causing damage.
Giant's Causeway, famous for legends of battles between giants, has long been dealing with coastal erosion and the rising sea level. Now, another issue has surfaced—coins inserted by tourists into the crevices of the basalt columns. Although they may be invisible at first glance, upon closer inspection, you can spot hundreds of them in every crevice and nook.
As reported by the BBC, coins are left for luck or love, similar to locks on the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris. These coins cause significant problems, prompting the custodians of Giant's Causeway, the National Trust, to appeal to visitors not to leave change in the rock crevices.
"People see others put coins in, so they copycat, they take a coin out of their pocket and they might take a stone off the ground to hammer the coin in, but they might miss and chip the stone itself so that's doing damage," said Dr. Cliff Henry from the National Trust, quoted by the BBC.
Preventive actions
The National Trust is urging people to stop inserting coins to prevent further rock damage. Dr. Kirstin Lemon from the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland has recommended the removal of as many coins as possible to prevent additional physical and chemical damage. A specialist stonemason has already begun the task, removing approximately 10 percent of the coins.
"He's [a specialist] done some test sites already so we know we can take these coins out without doing damage to the stones themselves," noted Henry.
Last year, about 684,000 people visited Giant's Causeway, bringing the numbers close to pre-pandemic levels, when nearly a million tourists visited in 2019. The National Trust emphasizes that Giant's Causeway is not only Northern Ireland's most valuable natural phenomenon but also an important part of the economy.
