Latest news with #CountyAntrim
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Larne: Sixty Six restaurant closed after suspected arson
A County Antrim restaurant has said it will be closed for the foreseeable future after a suspected arson attack destroyed its premises in an early morning tackled the fire at Sixty Six on the Browndod Road near Larne at about 02:50 BST on also attended the scene. They said enquiries are ongoing and are currently treating the blaze as "deliberate".They urged anyone with information about the incident to contact them. In a Facebook post, the restaurant said: "Our premises will be closed for the foreseeable future."It added that customers will be contacted throughout the day on Monday.
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
More than 100 historic sites damaged across NI
More than 100 specially protected archaeological sites and historic monuments have been damaged or vandalised in Northern Ireland over the last five of the breaches occurred on or near farmland including an ancient field system in County Antrim and a centuries-old ceremonial site in County are 2,000 historic monuments in Northern Ireland that are protected by law, with some dating back almost 10,000 latest figures on damage and vandalism have led to fresh calls for more awareness to be raised around the importance of such historical sites and Department for Communities has responsibility for protecting historic monuments here. Paul Logue is a senior official with the department's historic environment said: "Archaeological sites represent a unique source of information about the lives of our ancestors and how they adapted to and changed their environment."Unauthorised works at scheduled sites remove or degrade that archaeological source of information and can be likened to removing an important book from a library and burning it before anyone has had a chance to read it." What are historic monuments? There are currently around 35,500 archaeological monuments recorded in the Historic Environment Record of Northern Ireland (HERoNI).But only around 2,000 of them are scheduled, which means they have statutory include many prehistoric sites, forts, churches, castles, maritime sites, and also more recent industrial and defence sites and monuments are discovered every year, often during building excavations, the farming of land and changes in weather conditions revealing ancient News NI previously reported on how in 2022 a spell of hot weather dried up a swamp in the Loup area that had been concealing a man-made island, known as a crannog. Special permission must be sought before any works are carried out on scheduled monuments to protect them from to get the proper permissions or unlawfully disturbing them can lead to a court summons and a January 2024 a building contractor was fined £50,000 for demolishing a protected historic monument on a site he intended to develop in County obtained by BBC News NI show that there have been over 100 breach cases at scheduled monuments in the last five years. A breakdown of the figures include damage to an ancient field system in County Antrim and a unique set of historic limekilns near incidents include graffiti at a 5,000-year-old tomb site open to the public in County Down.A path was also unlawfully inserted into an ancient ceremonial site near a burial cairn in the historic Davagh forest in County Forest is located at the foot of the Sperrin Mountains where a number of significant archaeological finds have been include the Beaghmore Stone Circles which were discovered in the late 1930s when a local worker, George Barnett, was cutting peat. Damage was also recorded at a number of historic canals in Newry and near the River Lagan in metal detecting was also a problem and in one instance a number of large holes were dug up at a medieval abbey site in Co Down. 'Farmers are responsible people' Some of the most serious damage cases occurred during the Covid period and around 30% of breaches occurred in urban areas, but most breaches were on Logue said: "The high percentage of farmland cases is most likely because Northern Ireland has a large amount of farmland in our landscape and the overwhelming number of protected monuments are on farmland."But overwhelmingly, we believe that Northern Ireland landowners and farmers are responsible people who in many cases have carefully looked after monuments on their land for generations. However, like any other section of society, a minority do not act responsibly."Seán Clarke is a Sinn Fein councillor and farmer from Broughderg who has reported the discovery of several historic artefacts from the land during his working life. Along with the local history group, he was instrumental in discovering a prehistoric site surrounding the ruins of an old school from the said: "We noticed that there was this deep bank in a double ring shape that surrounded the old playground, and we began to realise this was something much older."We reported it to the authorities and they said they believed it was a prehistoric ceremonial site, so we helped get it reported and registered."He added: "Down the years even on my own land I've discovered different things like old standing stones and stone circles."It's so important to protect these artefacts because they're part of our story, part of our past and once they're gone, they're gone forever, they can't be replicated." Paul Logue added: "The reality is we need the message out there that if you do damage heritage, you may end up with a criminal record."And that's not what we want, so we would just ask people to be cautious and remember these places and monuments are telling important stories about humanity."
CNN
6 days ago
- General
- CNN
Heritage body begs tourists to stop jamming coins into Giant's Causeway
Visitors to the Giant's Causeway, the world-famous tourist attraction in Northern Ireland, are being urged not to indulge in the popular ritual of wedging coins in between the site's iconic stones. UK heritage body the National Trust has launched a campaign to end the practice as the coins rapidly corrode and expand, damaging the basalt rock columns at the site in County Antrim, according to a statement published Wednesday. 'We know that visitors really love and cherish the Giant's Causeway, and many form deep personal connections to this special landscape,' Cliff Henry, National Trust Nature Engagement Officer at the Giant's Causeway, said in the statement. 'We know some may want to leave a token of their visit, but the coins are causing damage and we are urging people to stop the practice and to leave no trace so this natural wonder remains special for future generations.' While legend has it that the interlocking columns were made by an Irish giant named Finn McCool so that he could cross the Irish Sea to fight a Scottish rival named Benandonner, scientists say they were created by a volcanic eruption around 50 million years ago. In 2024, the Giant's Causeway, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, received more than 684,000 visitors, with many leaving coins in the gaps between its estimated 40,000 columns. According to a report by the British Geological Survey, the coins are both physically and aesthetically harmful to the columns. 'The report has found that fracturing and disintegration of the basalt rock adjacent to joints and cracks into which coins have been inserted is the result of the 'expansive delamination of the coins upon oxidation,'' Henry said. 'In other words, the coins are rusting, and expanding to three times their original thickness, which puts huge pressure on the surrounding rock causing it to crumble. Unsightly streaks of copper, nickel and iron oxides are also staining the stones where the coins are corroding.' In response, the National Trust employed stone conservation experts to test whether the coins could be removed without causing further damage, which proved successful. However, removing all of the coins will cost more than £30,000 ($40,500), said the National Trust, which is asking visitors not to add to the problem. 'We protect and care for places so people and nature can thrive. We are appealing to visitors to help us protect the World Heritage Site by stopping the practice of inserting coins into the Causeway stones,' said Henry. And while tourists are being asked not to leave anything behind at the Giant's Causeway, visitors to Bruges, Belgium, have been implored not to take a piece of the city home with them. Earlier in May, officials issued a request that tourists stop stealing cobblestones from its UNESCO-recognized medieval streets. Local politician Franky Demon says an estimated 50 to 70 cobblestones disappear every month — even more during peak season — and it costs 200 euros (about $225) per square meter to replace them and fix the damage. 'While some may see this as harmless or quirky, the consequences are serious,' Demon told CNN. 'The removal of cobblestones poses a clear safety risk to both residents and visitors. Missing or loosened stones create tripping hazards, and city workers must frequently be dispatched to carry out repairs.'
CNN
6 days ago
- CNN
Heritage body begs tourists to stop jamming coins into Giant's Causeway
Visitors to the Giant's Causeway, the world-famous tourist attraction in Northern Ireland, are being urged not to indulge in the popular ritual of wedging coins in between the site's iconic stones. UK heritage body the National Trust has launched a campaign to end the practice as the coins rapidly corrode and expand, damaging the basalt rock columns at the site in County Antrim, according to a statement published Wednesday. 'We know that visitors really love and cherish the Giant's Causeway, and many form deep personal connections to this special landscape,' Cliff Henry, National Trust Nature Engagement Officer at the Giant's Causeway, said in the statement. 'We know some may want to leave a token of their visit, but the coins are causing damage and we are urging people to stop the practice and to leave no trace so this natural wonder remains special for future generations.' While legend has it that the interlocking columns were made by an Irish giant named Finn McCool so that he could cross the Irish Sea to fight a Scottish rival named Benandonner, scientists say they were created by a volcanic eruption around 50 million years ago. In 2024, the Giant's Causeway, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, received more than 684,000 visitors, with many leaving coins in the gaps between its estimated 40,000 columns. According to a report by the British Geological Survey, the coins are both physically and aesthetically harmful to the columns. 'The report has found that fracturing and disintegration of the basalt rock adjacent to joints and cracks into which coins have been inserted is the result of the 'expansive delamination of the coins upon oxidation,'' Henry said. 'In other words, the coins are rusting, and expanding to three times their original thickness, which puts huge pressure on the surrounding rock causing it to crumble. Unsightly streaks of copper, nickel and iron oxides are also staining the stones where the coins are corroding.' In response, the National Trust employed stone conservation experts to test whether the coins could be removed without causing further damage, which proved successful. However, removing all of the coins will cost more than £30,000 ($40,500), said the National Trust, which is asking visitors not to add to the problem. 'We protect and care for places so people and nature can thrive. We are appealing to visitors to help us protect the World Heritage Site by stopping the practice of inserting coins into the Causeway stones,' said Henry. And while tourists are being asked not to leave anything behind at the Giant's Causeway, visitors to Bruges, Belgium, have been implored not to take a piece of the city home with them. Earlier in May, officials issued a request that tourists stop stealing cobblestones from its UNESCO-recognized medieval streets. Local politician Franky Demon says an estimated 50 to 70 cobblestones disappear every month — even more during peak season — and it costs 200 euros (about $225) per square meter to replace them and fix the damage. 'While some may see this as harmless or quirky, the consequences are serious,' Demon told CNN. 'The removal of cobblestones poses a clear safety risk to both residents and visitors. Missing or loosened stones create tripping hazards, and city workers must frequently be dispatched to carry out repairs.'
The Independent
6 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Tourists urged to stop jamming coins into iconic Giant's Causeway rocks
Tourists risk destroying Northern Ireland 's iconic Giant's Causeway rocks by jamming coins between them, experts warned. National Trust engagement officer Dr Cliff Henry said the discarded tender break and discolour the 60-million-year-old rocks by rusting and expanding. At least 684,000 tourists visited the County Antrim site last year, with some leaving behind the unwanted memento due to 'copy cat' behaviour. 'The coins are causing damage and we are urging people to stop the practice,' Dr Henry said. 'They are rusting and expanding, which causes the rock to crumble giant.' 'The rusting metal in there is starting to leach. The iron and nickel and copper is leaching out over the rocks and it looks unsightly.' The National Trust is set to spend £30,000 removing the coins, with a specialist stonemason extracting around 10 per cent of them so far. It will also erect signs at the world-famous site warning visitors against leaving the objects in an effort to 'protect and care for places so people and nature can thrive'. Dr Kirstin Lemon, of the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, added: 'The advice is to see if we can remove as many of those coins as we can. "By removing them, it means we're stopping any further physical impact on the site itself. We're also stopping that chemical impact as well." The discarded coins show a range of visitors from all around the world, with most coming from the UK and EU, as well as the far east and USA, the National Trust said. Last year, the Giant's Causeway received about 684,000 visits. In 2019, there were nearly 1m visits, according to the BBC. According to legends, the site was formed by Irish giant Finn McCool who created the causeway to get across the Irish Sea to face his rival, the Scottish giant Benandonner. The mighty Benandonner then tore up most of the causeway to prevent Finn from getting back to Scotland. Another legend has it that the causeway was built so Finn could meet a Scottish maid he was enamoured with. However, most geologists agree it was created by an outpouring of Basalt lava 60 million years ago around the time the North Atlantic was opening up "It's an icon for Northern Ireland. If we can't look after this, what's the hope for the rest of the country? We really need to be looking after the causeway as best we can,' Dr Henry told the BBC.
