This Breathtaking Irish Spot Is Being Pushed For UNESCO World Heritage Status

Ireland currently boasts two Unesco World Heritage sites; Brú na Bóinne – Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne and Sceilg Mhicíl, announced as such in 1993 and 1996 respectively. 

But its list of prospective Heritage Sites seems ever-growing, with Valentia Island atop the pile. 

A convention delegating such sites is being held this weekend, which will see the ”outstanding universal value” of the Island’s telecommunications history played out to 200 delegates, according to the Irish Examiner. 

The heavy multi-strand copper cable was laid from the world’s biggest ship The Great Eastern from Foilhommerum Bay, Valentia, across 1,686 nautical miles and was brought ashore in Newfoundland just 13 days later.

Chairman of the Valentia Transatlantic Cable Foundation, Leonard Hobbs, of Trinity College Dublin referenced how the transatlantic cable is widely considered as the dawning of the digital age, reducing communication time across the ocean “from two weeks to just two minutes.”

Should Heritage site status be received, Valentia Island will reap the benefits of thousands of visitors each year. 

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