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Irish Times
28-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Giant's Causeway visitors causing damage to ancient landscape by wedging coins into cracks
Visitors are damaging the Giant's Causeway in Co Antrim by wedging coins into the cracks of the basalt columns, causing the rocks to stain and crumble. The coins rust and expand to three times their original thickness, corroding and fracturing the world heritage site, authorities said on Wednesday. They appealed to the public to end the tradition that has left coins from all over the world embedded in the world-famous landmark. 'We are urging people to stop the practice and to leave no trace so this natural wonder remains special for future generations,' said Cliff Henry, a National Trust nature engagement officer. The causeway's 40,000 near-perfect hexagonal columns drew 648,000 visitors last year, confirming it as one of Northern Ireland's most popular attractions. Legend says the columns were built by the Irish giant Finn McCool as a crossing to confront a Scottish rival, Benandonner. READ MORE But coins from the UK, Europe, the US and elsewhere that are wedged into joints and cracks as tokens of visits are harming the basalt rock aesthetically and physically, according to a British Geological Survey report. '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,' said Mr Henry. 'The coins here also have accelerated corrosion because they are often soaked in saltwater spray and the mixture of metals means they break down faster.' The National Trust, in partnership with Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust, hired stone conservation specialists to remove coins without causing further damage at 10 test locations. The trial was successful and it is hoped all the remaining coins will be removed, costing an estimated £30,000 (€35,700). The Giant's Causeway formed between 50 and 60 million years ago when molten basalt erupted through chalk beds and formed a lake of lava. As this cooled and contracted, cracks propagated across the plateau to form hexagonal stepping stones. Signs are to be erected urging visitors to keep coins in their pockets and not leave a legacy of additional cracks. 'We protect and care for places so people and nature can thrive,' said Mr Henry. Authorities in Paris made a similar appeal after a tradition of leaving padlocks on the Pont des Arts was blamed for a partial collapse in 2014. - Guardian
BreakingNews.ie
28-05-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Giant's Causeway being damaged by tourists leaving coins
Northern Ireland's World Heritage Site is being damaged by visitors leaving coins in the cracks of the famous stones. Scores of coins have been left wedged into the cracks of the basalt rock columns of the Giant's Causeway in north Antrim. Advertisement Reflecting the broad spectrum of visitors to the attraction, the coins range from UK currency to euros and from the far east and United States. American tourist from California, Ron Goubert, climbs down from The Honeycomb at Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland (Liam McBurney/PA) However the coins go on to rust and expand, putting pressure on the surrounding rock, staining it and causing it to crumble. The UK National Trust said the removal of the coins is expected to cost more than £30,000 (€35,000), and have urged visitors to stop leaving coins at the site. Dr Cliff Henry, National Trust nature engagement officer at the Giant's Causeway said visitors should leave no trace. Advertisement 'We know that visitors really love and cherish the Giant's Causeway, and many form deep personal connections to this special landscape,' he said. '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.' He pointed to a report by The British Geological Survey that concludes the coins wedged into the joints and cracks in the rock are having a detrimental impact on the basalt rock of the Giant's Causeway, both aesthetically and physically. Some of the coins left by visitors at the Giant's Causeway in Co Antrim (Dr Cliff Henry/PA) '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',' he said. Advertisement '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.' The National Trust, in partnership with Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust, employed specialists in stone conservation to remove as many of the coins as they could without causing further damage on ten test locations. They hope to go on to remove all the remaining coins, and have appealed to visitors not to leave any more. Mr Henry added: 'It is hoped that if visitors see fewer coins in the stones and hear appeals to stop the damaging practice the problem can be solved.' Advertisement 'Many coins have a centre of one metal, with a thin coating of another. UK 'copper' coins, since 1992, have a steel core with only a thin layer of copper on the outside, while five, 10 and 20 pence pieces are nickel-plated steel. 'When coins start to corrode, the steel often corrodes faster and separates from the different metal of the outer layer. This delamination causes the basalt to flake. 'The coins here also have accelerated corrosion because they are often soaked in saltwater spray and the mixture of metals means they break down faster. '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.' Advertisement While geologists will say that the causeway was created by an outpouring of Basalt lava 60 million years ago around the time the North Atlantic was opening up, there are also legends that it was formed by an Irish giant Finn McCool. The National Trust protects and cares for more than 40,000 columns at the Giant's Causeway, which is Northern Ireland's first Unesco World Heritage Site and also benefits from a number of other important designations.
ABC News
28-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Site of Australia's worst mine disaster receives state heritage protection
The site of Australia's worst mining disaster, where 96 men and boys lost their lives in an underground gas explosion in New South Wales, has finally been listed on the State Heritage Register, but for some, it's too little, too late. At 2pm on July 31, 1902, a gas explosion ripped through the tunnels of Mount Kembla mine west of Wollongong. It is still remembered each year with a moving candlelit ceremony at the Windy Gully Cemetery, where many of the victims of the disaster are buried. The listing of the Mount Kembla Mine Disaster Site Ruins and Setting acknowledges its significance in the state's coal mining history and its importance as a place of remembrance. But not everybody is pleased with the arrangement. Former coal mining engineer Phillip Grant, who was a member of the now disbanded Mt Kembla Mining Heritage Group, said if the listing had happened earlier, ongoing damage to the site, including widespread theft of building products, may not have occurred. "Over the years, a lot of people have taken stuff off the site, and because it wasn't classified as a heritage site. I suppose they thought they had the right to do it," Mr Grant said. He has been able to photograph some remaining items in situ, including helmets, boots and old tools, but he believes improper maintenance of the site's drainage has washed out many areas, including the former pit pony stables. Kerry Barry is a descendant of William Brasher, who was 54 years old and married with three children when he tragically lost his life in the mine explosion. Ms Barry says years of advocacy for a heritage listing have finally paid off, but is also disappointed by the damage that was allowed to occur over the years. "It's a memorial to the people that passed there, but a lot of people treated it as a treasure hunt of finding things," Ms Barry said. The initial nomination for the heritage listing was submitted in 2011. It would take 14 years for the site to be recognised. The Mt Kembla Mining Heritage Group nominated the site but said the process was delayed as documents had to be resubmitted. The ABC understands the submission was not formally recognised until 2015 due to insufficient documentation. The original application included the nearby mining village of Kembla Heights. Heritage NSW reached out to the owners of the village at the time, who chose not to engage in the listing process. BHP, then BHP Billiton, owned the mine before ownership was spun out to new company South32 in 2015. The site of the now Dendrobium mine was then sold to GM3 in August 2024. The explosion site is owned by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and forms part of the Illawarra Escarpment State Conservation Area. The heritage listing excludes the historical village. The current mine owner GM3 did not respond to the ABC's questions, while the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) said it was satisfied with the boundaries. "After careful consideration, the Heritage Council of NSW determined that the current listing boundary sufficiently captures the key heritage values of the place," a DCCEEW spokesperson said. Being placed on the register will provide the explosion site with extra protection, ensuring it is not demolished or redeveloped without approval from the NSW Heritage Council. For the historical village, some protection is still offered under Wollongong Council's Kembla Heights Heritage Conservation Area. Proposed developments need to pass through council's strict development controls. Mining and Energy Union south-western district secretary Andy Davey said the site was highly significant for understanding Australia's mining heritage. "It's not only just to do with mining, but it's to do with our heritage, not only in and around the Illawarra but New South Wales too," Mr Davey said. "Whilst it has taken a while and has been lobbied for years, it is finally great to see it be recognised." "Hopefully, we'll be able to make some repairs and some modifications and at least get some signs up on how dangerous it is around the area." A DCCEEW spokesperson said the site was considered a ruin and restoration was not required. "However, Heritage NSW is currently working with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to develop minimum standards of maintenance to ensure the site is appropriately managed."
The National
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Jerusalem Day announcement kicks off Old City archaeology controversy at Mamilla Pool
Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza The Israeli government has announced that it will approve the rehabilitation of an ancient reservoir that once supplied water to Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mayor Moshe Lion said. Mamilla Pool is one of several reservoirs that sustained inhabitants of the Old City of Jerusalem. It is outside the walls, about 700 yards north-west of Jaffa Gate in the centre of the Mamilla Cemetery, a site of predominantly Muslim burials. The government's announcement coincided with Jerusalem Day, when the Israeli far-right celebrates the 1967 capture of East Jerusalem. On Monday, Mr Netanyahu and Mr Lion visited the 30,000 cubic-metre Mamilla Pool, a site from the Byzantine period. "My dream was that we would restore it, fill it with water, and it would be a world attraction," said Mr Netanyahu. "We'll start planning. We'll talk about those details later. But we want to launch it. It starts with an idea, and then it could be something that people from all over the world and all over the country will come to see this wonderful place." The approval of the work will "breathe life into it and transform it into a Jerusalem gem in the form of a heritage site and space for the benefit of the public," a statement said. "I'm very much in favour. I adopted what you suggested several years ago, and we are now on the eve of Jerusalem Day," Mr Leon said. "It costs money, and we will do everything to make it an efficient expenditure. But this place will definitely become a Jerusalem gem." The plan to restore the site is controversial. "It's seizing another part of what's left of the ancient Muslim cemetery," Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher at the Ir Amim organisation in Jerusalem and heritage campaigner, told The National. Jerusalem is a city with thousands of years of history and archaeological findings from more than 5,000 years ago – predating the Israelites. It is a complex history, he said. "You can also find remains from the Jewish kingdoms, Greek, Roman, Muslim, and Ottoman periods, and even the British period." Mamilla has long been a place for Muslim burials and many grave stones can still be seen. "Imagine if this would be done in whatever country to a Jewish cemetery?" said Mr Tatarsky. "What kind of outcry and 'anti-Semitism' and all that. So, that's the way the government wants to celebrate Jerusalem? Israel controlling Jerusalem? We're wiping out Muslim presence on both sides of the green line". Archaeology in Jerusalem is not just about history, it is a means for the Israeli state to tighten control over Palestinian areas, reshape the city's identity and push Palestinian residents out under the pretext of historical preservation, Mr Tatarsky adds. "As an archaeological site it's (Mamilla) extremely important. There is a Palestinian neighbourhood right next to a mosque. Israel is using archaeology to prevent the development of (a Muslim) neighbourhood and take over public spaces so large parts are not serving the residents," he said Large parts of the neighbourhood are now off-limits because of archaeological digs or tourist attractions, he said. This stifles development, restricts Palestinian movement, undermines community building and advances broader political goals. "It is used to present the place not as a contemporary Palestinian neighbourhood but as a Jewish heritage site so 'It's ours – it belongs to us'," he said.
The Sun
15-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Huge fire rips through former RAF base as explosions heard and smoke seen from miles away
A GARGANTUAN fire has ripped through a former RAF base, with explosions heard and smoke seen from miles away. Emergency services scrambled to the scene in Bicester Motion, Oxfordshire, earlier this evening. 2 It's thought that ten fire crews have been desperately fighting the blaze at the motoring and aviation heritage site since 6:30pm. Locals have been told to avoid the area and urged to remain indoors and close their windows "until further notice". is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
