Public can visit historic monuments from today

The Department for Communities Historic Environment Division (HED) manages some 190 historic monuments in State Care.

From today most of the sites – excluding those which have significant amounts of indoor space or which present particular safety or public health challenges – will be open for access, along with car parks.

However, facilities including toilets, visitors’ centres, cafes and shops will remain closed in line with public health requirements.

Making the announcement, Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey said: “Members of the public will once again be able to enjoy the beauty and history of dozens of outdoor spaces managed by my department’s Historic Environment Division.

“It is vital that people continue to socially distance, wash their hands and not become complacent as restrictions begin to be lift. Please enjoy these beautiful spaces, take care of them and dispose of your litter carefully or take it home with you.”

Historic outdoor spaces that people will be able to enjoy include Giant’s Ring in south Belfast, Inch Abbey near Downpatrick, Nendrum Monastic Site on Strangford Lough, Tully Castle in Fermanagh, and Kinbane Castle near Ballycastle.

Sites which will remain closed to the public for the time being include Carrickfergus Castle, Dunluce Castle, Devenish Island, Scrabo Tower, Dundrum Castle and Grey Abbey.

Belfast Buildings Trust welcomed the news.

Shane Quinn, the Trust’s Development Manager, said “We are very pleased that people will be able to access many of Northern Ireland’s heritage sites once again. The Trust believes that heritage must play a central role in the region’s recovery.

“These places say a lot about who we are. Northern Ireland’s heritage sites have generations of stories, both personal and collective, that help us all to better understand ourselves and our places.

“The mental health and wellbeing benefits of experiencing heritage are well established and we’ve all felt the effects of not being able to access places that are meaningful to us in recent weeks.”