Valentia Island

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Lore & Background

Valentia was the eastern terminus of the first commercially viable transatlantic telegraph cable. The first attempt in 1857 to land a cable from Ballycarbery Strand on the mainland just east of Valentia Island ended in disappointment. After subsequent failures of cables landed at Knightstown in 1858 and Foilhommerum Bay in 1865, the vast endeavor finally resulted in commercially viable transatlantic telegraph communications from Foilhommerum Bay to Heart's Content, Newfoundland in 1866. Transatlantic telegraph cables operated from Valentia Island for one hundred years, ending with Western Union International terminating its cable operations in 1966. The transatlantic cable is currently on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. Before the transatlantic telegraph, American longitude measurements had a 850-metre (2,800 ft) uncertainty with respect to European longitudes. Because of the importance of accurate longitudes to safe navigation, the United States Coast Survey mounted a longitude expedition in 1866 to link longitudes in the United States accurately to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. Benjamin Gould and his partner A. T. Mosman reached Valentia on 2 October 1866. They built a temporary longitude observatory beside the Foilhommerum Cable Station to support synchronised longitude observations with Heart's Content, Newfoundland. After many rainy and cloudy days, the first transatlantic longitude signals were exchanged between Foilhommerum and Heart's Content on 24 October 1866. On 21 May 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh made his first landfall in Europe over Dingle Bay and Valentia Island on his solo flight from New York to Paris. On the 1927 Mercator chart used by the famous pilot, it was labelled Valencia. In 1992, a Swiss geology student, Iwan Stössel, discovered fossilised tetrapod trackways, footprints preserved in Devonian rocks, on the north coast of the island at Dohilla. About 385 million years ago, a primitive vertebrate passed near a river margin in the sub-equatorial river basin that is now southwestern Ireland and left prints in the damp sand. The prints were preserved by silt and sand overlying them, and were converted to rock over geological time. The Valentia Island trackways are among the oldest signs of vertebrate life on land. On 14 March 2021, Valentia Island was the site of the first walrus sighting in Ireland.

Reader's Guide

Valentia Island's significance lies in its role as the eastern terminus of the first commercially viable transatlantic telegraph cable, which revolutionised global communications by linking Europe and North America. The cable operated from 1866 to 1966, and the site is on the tentative UNESCO World Heritage list. The island also contributed to accurate longitude measurements for navigation, with the 1866 expedition linking American and European longitudes. Its fossilised tetrapod trackways, discovered in 1992, are among the oldest evidence of vertebrate life on land. The island's mild oceanic climate supports sub-tropical gardens at Glanleam House, and its slate quarry provided slates for the British Houses of Parliament. Today, it is a tourist destination accessible via the Maurice O'Neill Memorial Bridge and a seasonal ferry, with attractions including Geokaun Mountain, Fogher Cliffs, and a heritage centre.

Did You Know?

• The English name 'Valentia' does not come from the Spanish city of Valencia; it evolved from the Irish name of Valentia Harbour, cuan Bhéil Inse, meaning 'harbour-mouth of the island'.
• Charles Lindbergh made his first European landfall over Dingle Bay and Valentia Island on 21 May 1927 during his solo flight from New York to Paris.
• In 1992, Swiss geology student Iwan Stössel discovered fossilised tetrapod trackways on the north coast at Dohilla, among the oldest signs of vertebrate life on land, dating to about 385 million years ago.
• Valentia Island was the site of the first walrus sighting in Ireland, on 14 March 2021.
• The slate quarry on Valentia Island provided slates for the British Houses of Parliament.