A World Heritage Site is a place (such as a building, city, complex, desert, forest, island, lake, monument, or mountain) that is listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as being of special cultural or physical significance.

Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration – UNESCO

As part of the preparation for the application to UNESCO, the Valentia Island Development Company initially commissioned two research papers by an international UNESCO expert, Professor Alexander Gillespie from the University of Waikato in New Zealand in which he assessed the viability of the Valentia ensemble of related transatlantic cable sites to be considered for industrial world heritage status.

The significance of what happened on Valentia Island, as evidenced by its associated and remaining features, gives it a strong chance of becoming a World Heritage site due to its Outstanding Universal Value.  As a UNESCO site, the island has the capacity to attract thousands of national and global visitors each year and its rich contributions to Industrial world heritage will be preserved and celebrated for future generations – Prof. Alexander Gillespie