€1.27m boost for Valentia Cable Station ambitions

THE joining of Valentia and Heart’s Content of Canada in the mid-1800s by the trans-Atlantic cable spawned today’s internet of world wide communications.

It was as significant in importance as the original landing on the moon.

In recognition of this, the Valentia Island Development Company ( VIDC) and Valentia Island Transatlantic Cable Foundation Board are endeavouring to present the historic cable as a UNESCO World Industrial Heritage Communications site.

It is also the intention of the Valentia Cable Foundation Board to establish a digital hub (sponsored by BT) upstairs in the cable building, with top-of-the-range, high-speed broadband as a huge incentive to re-establish technological employment which once existed there.

It will also comprise of a cable museum and a high-quality conference centre.

Friday, November 23, was a great day for such digital ambitions, as the Government announced a grant of €1.27m for the project.

This is in addition to the €161,000 granted last month for the project from Fáilte Ireland.

All of this money must be spent in 2019.

There will be additional private funding, which will bring the total sum to €1.5m. Valentia Island Development Company and the Cable Foundation Board want to take this opportunity to thank all the local businesses for submitting outstanding articles of support for the project.

The Cable Foundation’s Anthony O’Connell said as follows:

“Without these and the great work of Moira Murrell and her team, led by John Griffin at KCC, this would have been near impossible to accomplish, as it was a competitive process.

“Minister Brendan Griffin gave it great support starting as far back as last February, when he visited the Station with the President, and three days later went to Heart’s Content with the Head of Tourism Ireland.

“Adding to these, we got letters of support from IT Tralee, Trinity College, BT, the Government of Newfoundland, and many more.

“Míle buíochas.”