The Mayor of Kerry and International Friends of Valentia cordially invite you to
Help Preserve & Restore the ‘8th Wonder of the World’
A Benefit to Celebrate  Ireland’s Contribution to Industrial World Heritage
 
Tuesday May 27, 2014 from 5:30 pm-7:00 pm
The American Irish Historical Society
991 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028
 
Special presentation on the Valentia Cable Station UNESCO World Heritage Bid
by Professor Alexander Gillespie, former UNESCO World Heritage Convention Rapporteur
 
 Please register your attendance by May 17th via email to tourismoffice@kerrycoco.ie or
Background:  Valentia Island, in County Kerry, Ireland, was once the centre of the world. In the middle of the 19th century it was the location where the trans-Atlantic cable connected North America to Europe.  At the time, this was considered the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’.   This achievement is commonly recognized as the beginning of the global telecommunications industry.  The significance of what happened on Valentia Island, as evidenced by its associated and remaining features, has a strong chance of becoming a World Heritage site due to its Outstanding Universal Value.   If World Heritage status is achieved, Valentia Island, as the exemplar of the Industrial Revolution in Ireland and the world, has the capacity to attract thousands of national and global visitors each year and this rural island will have its rich contributions to industrial world heritage preserved and celebrated for future generations.

Our Work has Been Featured in:

Irish American Magazine
The Gathering : Valentia’s World Heritage Potential featuring Al Gillespie and Michael Lyne.
 ‘Valentia Island’s role in laying trans-Atlantic cable could make it a world heritage site’
‘Descendants of the founders of the Transatlantic Cable gather on Valentia Island’
 
 ‘The Transatlantic Communications and Light Gathering’
Valentia Island deserves to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Transatlantic Cable of the 19th Century was the birthplace of modern industrial communications. The first successful instantaneous telegraph that was communicated between North America and Europe was transmitted between Valentia Island, Ireland, and Newfoundland, Canada.  The goal of this project is a successful World Heritage nomination and restoration of the associated historic cable building sites on Valentia Island, Ireland.
Stephanie Buffum Field
North American Project Manager
Valentia Island, Ireland: World Heritage Telecommunications Project
Cell: 01.360.472.0404 | Skype: Stephanie3782319
PO Box 367 Shaw Island, WA  98286  USA