Over 150 years ago, Valentia Island was at the centre of a revolution that changed the world - and now you can discover why, at Valentia Cable Station.

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EXHIBIT: Marc Roosli of Mirador Media at the launch of The ‘Eight Wonder’ a new interactive installation that reveals the astounding story of the transatlantic cable. Developed through Fáilte Ireland’s ‘New Horizons on the Wild Atlantic Way’ Grants Scheme. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

SHIP: Mary Rose Stafford Valentia Cable Station Foundation and Michéal Lyne Valentia Island Cable Stationlooking at a model of ‘Great Eastern’ cable-laying steamship at the launch of the ‘Eight Wonder’ at Valentia Island Cable Station. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

LAUNCH: Danielle Favier Fáilte Ireland at the launch of the ‘Eight Wonder’. Over 150 years ago Valentia Island was at the centre of a revolution that changed the world byh creating a permanent communications link a transatlantic telegraph cable between Europe and North America from Foilhomurrum Bay successfully landing at Hearts Content Newfoundland in July 1866. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

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‘Eighth Wonder’ is a new interactive installation that reveals the astounding story of the transatlantic cable laid between Valentia and Newfoundland.

The transatlantic cable story was  called the Eighth Wonder of the World, the wire that changed the world, and it stretched 3,000 kilometres beneath the ocean and cut communication times between Europe and North America from weeks to minutes.

It was the beginning of global communications, and behind it lies an astonishing story of human endurance, science, adventure, genius - and the biggest ship in the world.

Valentia's crucial role in transatlantic cable project - the technological equivalent at the time of putting a man on the moon - is told in this immersive visitor experience at the Valentia Cable Station.

You can send your own morse code message and try to break the code, discover the underwater cables of today and see how communications technology has changed.

Eighth Wonder reveals how Valentia played a crucial role in an astounding human achievement that still influences how we live today.

‘Eighth Wonder’ was developed through Fáilte Ireland’s ‘New Horizons on the Wild Atlantic Way’ Grants Scheme with €200,000 being provided to bring the transatlantic cable experience to life again. New Horizons on the Wild Atlantic Way 2018 is a grants scheme for existing visitor attractions along the Wild Atlantic Way coastal route, designed to unlock the great stories the region has to offer.

Wild Atlantic Way Manager at Fáilte Ireland, Josephine O’Driscoll, said:

“The Visitor Experience Development Plan for the Skellig’s Coast, which was developed in consultation with local stakeholders, tourism businesses and the community, identified a number of development projects to bring local experiences along the Skellig Coast to life to help drive and sustain tourism in the area. Following the launch of the plan, we invested in a number of projects including €200,000 in the development of the ‘Eighth Wonder’ visitor experience at Valentia Cable Station and it is fantastic to see the project come to fruition. Innovative visitor experiences such as this are hugely important in attracting visitors and encouraging them to stay longer in the area and will be critical as we look towards driving a continued recovery of the tourism sector.”