President Higgins to visit Kerry
Date: Thu 15th Feb, 2018 | 14:48
President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins will attend a number of events in Co. Kerry this week.
On Friday 16 February, the President will be in the West Kerry Gaeltacht of Corca Dhuibhne for the traditional music festival Scoil Cheoil an Earraigh. The President will attend a special concert entitled ‘Mórtas – Pride of People and Place’ – in Feohanach.
On Saturday 17 February, the President will visit Valentia Observatory to mark its accreditation as a Centennial Station.
The Observatory is a weather station operated by Met Eireann carrying out surface weather and upper-air meteorological measurements and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) awarded the Observatory accreditation as a Centennial Station, in acknowledgement of over 100 years of high quality continuous meteorological observations.
Later on that day, the President will visit the Valentia Transatlantic Cable Station.
160 years ago, the first Transatlantic Cable connecting Europe with North America was laid. The telegraph cable joined Valentia Harbour in Ireland with Trinity Bay in Newfoundland.
The idea of a transatlantic cable was first proposed in 1845, and after several failed attempts to construct a transatlantic cable, the Transatlantic Cable Station in Valentia operated successfully from 1866 until 1966. The Valentia Transatlantic Cable Foundation is working to have the Transatlantic Cable designated as a UNESCO World Heritage project.