On behalf of the Valentia Transatlantic Cable Foundation I strongly endorse the inclusion of the Valentia Cable Station and the associated UNESCO project. This will a new era of opportunity for Valentia and we look forward to continuing our work with the community and Kerry County Council to ensure maximium social and economic benefits accrue from the designation.
The story of the world’s first transatlantic cable which resulted in the first ever message to be transmitted across an ocean, is an inspiring one. In 1858 the first ever message being sent from Valentia Island in County Kerry to Trinity Bay in Newfoundland in which Queen Victoria sent a note of congratulations to President Buchanan of the United States. The 98 word message took 16 hours to transmit, and the President response of 143 words was sent in just 10 hours. Improvements in the cable technology meant that when the next successful cable was laid in 1866, messages could be sent in minutes.
This incredible story of the transatlantic cable has many elements including scientific endeavour, innovation, communication, risk taking, entrepreneurship, social responsibility, globalisation and ultimately jubilation as an international team from both sides of the Atlantic collaborated to achieve what was believed to be an impossible task. The transatlantic cable reduced the time it took to communicate dramatically as what required two weeks by ship could now be done via the deep sea copper cables in minutes, thus beginning an era of global collaboration.
The then remote Valentia Island in County Kerry in Ireland played a major role in connecting the old and new worlds for the first time, placing Ireland at the ‘cross hairs’ of the emerging global communications industry. Indeed one could say that globalisation began at the edge of the then modern world with the successful connection of the cable between London, via Valentia, Ireland and New York, via Newfoundland, Canada.
To recognise this achievement, we are currently collaborating with officials in Newfoundland to pursue a trans-national application for UNESCO heritage status for both Irish and Canadian sites, thus bonding the two communities together. Given the experience of other UNESCO designated industrial sites world wide, there is expected to be significant economic impact with a significant increase in the number of tourists and the type of tourist which is expected to extend the tourism season beyond current limits.
A major deliverable in this project is in the restoration and refurbishment of the historic Cable Station at Knightstown in Valentia. From the establishment of the transatlantic cable business in the late 1800’s to its demise in the 1960s, the Cable Station was at the centre of global communications, with cutting edge technologies being deployed, and indeed often developed there. We now have ambitious plans to restore the building and re-establish it as a living and working space with a unique combination. The ground floor will showcase the industrial heritage of the site with the creation the first phase of an immersive visitor experience of the “ Transatlantic Cable Story “, while the first floor will see the establishment of a bespoke Innovation “ Hub at the Cable Station”.