In the seaside County Antrim village of Whitehead, Northern Ireland, the Coastguard have always had saving lives and preventing smuggling on their minds. In fact, when the Coastguard service was first established in the 1820s, smuggling was its highest priority, because the illegal practice had become a major source of lost revenues for the country. And the Islandmagee peninsula where Whitehead resides had become a haven for smugglers. After many years operating from thatched cottages in the village, it was decided that the Coastguard presence there required a permanent base….
