We are making steady progress in our pursuit of UNESCO Heritage status for the Transatlantic Cable ensemble at Valentia in County Kerry which in the mid 1850’s was propelled into the centre of world communications thus beginning Ireland’s transformation from being at the edge of the old world to being at the centre of the new globally connected world.     On the afternoon of Friday July 22nd 2022, we hosted the 6th Valentia Lecture revisited the topic of globalisation with the theme  “Globalisation – Our Interconnected and Interdependent World”. The lecture took place at the historic Cable Station in Knightstown and was followed by a gala dinner that evening at the Royal Hotel for our contributors and  guests. 

Established in 2017, the Valentia Island Lecture Series has featured speakers from the worlds of academia, politics, diplomacy, commerce and technology underpinning the impacts that the birth of global communications, originating from Valentia Island in 1866, have made on every facet of modern society. Videos of the speeches from the lecture are available below and on our YouTube channel at [su_permalink target=”blank” title=”Valentia Cable Foundation on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUS3eKQvO1ESFGbcRxX7sVw

The History of the Transatlantic Telegraph Cable

In 1858, Europe and North America were connected via the undersea transatlantic telegraph cable, that reduced communication times from weeks to minutes, in an achievement now considered the 19^th century equivalent of putting a man on the moon.

Valentia Lecture

Globalisation – Our Interconnected and Interdependent World

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByAWQiL-6yw  

Connecting with Canada

The first message transmitted over the 3,000 kilometre cable was a note of congratulations from Queen Victoria to US President James Buchanan, sent from Valentia Island in County Kerry to Newfoundland, Canada.  

This was the first step and a permanent connection was established in July 1866 between Valentia and Hearts Content in Newfoundland. Instant communication was now a reality – and Valentia was at the centre of the revolution: a small island off the coast of Ireland became the point at which modern globalisation began.  

“Now, almost every considerable expanse of water will be traversed by the slender cords which bind continents and islands together and practically bring the human race into one great family “– American Scientific, 1870  

Communication technology has evolved rapidly since the first transatlantic message from Valentia in 1858 and continues to shape how we live, learn and work – particularly in a COVID-impacted world.

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