The Wire that Changed the World

Recorded November 11, 2021. In 1858 the first ever message to be
transmitted across an ocean – a note of congratulations from Queen
Victoria to President Buchanan of the United States -- was sent
from Valentia Island in County Kerry to Trinity Bay in
Newfoundland. The 98-word message took 16 hours to transmit, and
the US President’s 143-word response was sent in just 10 hours.
Improvements in cable technology meant that when the next
successful cable was laid, in 1866, messages that had once taken
two weeks by ship could be sent in minutes. Valentia Island in
County Kerry played a major role in connecting the old and new
worlds for the first time, placing Ireland at the ‘cross hairs’ of
the emerging global communications industry. The Valentia
Transatlantic Cable Foundation Board, established in May 2016, is
now working with the community at Valentia and Kerry County Council
to pursue UNESCO Heritage status for the Transatlantic Cable
ensemble at Valentia. Organised by the Trinity Long Room Hub in
partnership with the Valentia Transatlantic Cable Foundation on
Thursday, to explore the significance of this historic achievement
and hear how the ‘wire that changed the world’ continues to inspire
us today. Learn more at: https://www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub/