Thousands of coins removed from Giant’s Causeway to protect basalt pillars

Conservation workers at Northern Ireland's Giant's Causeway have removed the equivalent of about 10,000 coins that visitors had wedged into the site’s famous basalt columns, saying the practice was damaging the UNESCO World Heritage landmark.

Reuters

22 August 2026 at 16:55:20

Thousands of coins removed from Giant’s Causeway to protect basalt pillars

Cliff Henry, Nature Engagement officer for the National Trust, shows a coin which was inserted by tourists into the basalt pillars of the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, August 21, 2026. In excess of 10,000 coins have so far been extracted to stop the physical and chemical impact of the metal on the World Heritage Site.

Cathal McNaughton/Reuters

More than 20 kg (44 lb) of coins have been removed since a conservation project began in 2025 following concerns that corroding metal was harming the stone formations.

According to the National Trust, the coins rusted and expanded over time, putting pressure on the basalt pillars and causing cracking and staining.

The organisation said visitors had been leaving coins in the rocks for years, often as symbols of luck or love, but the practice grew significantly over the past decade.

The clean-up follows recommendations from geological experts who warned that the coins were having both physical and chemical impacts on the Causeway's unique rock formations, one of Northern Ireland's most popular tourist attractions.

Camera: Cathal McNaughton, Editing and Writing: Jose Pablo Diaz/Reuters