In September 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Newfoundland Government and the Kerry County Council, Ireland, to have the Transatlantic Cable Ensemble: Valentia – Heart’s Content recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The signing of this document formalizes the commitment and collaboration of the shared leadership to work toward this goal.
Lilly Fitzpatrick
Lilly is a member of the Heart’s Content Mizzen Heritage Society
World Heritage Sites are locations, identified by UNESCO, that have special cultural or physical significance. They represent some of the most impressive creations made by both nature and mankind. There are some 1,157 World Heritage Sites located across 167 countries, including the Great Pyramids of Egypt, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Stonehenge, L’Anse aux Meadows and Gros Morne National Park. The identification of a location as a World Heritage Site is the highest possible recognition of the heritage value of that site and is recognized internationally.
The Heart’s Content Cable Station was designated a Provincial Historic Site in 1974 and has operated as a telecommunications museum since then. Since 2013, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has been in regular discussions with representatives from Valentia and Kerry Council in Ireland, Parks Canada and the Irish National Monuments Service, to have the two sites nominated as a transboundary UNESCO World Heritage Site. To proceed with the request, both historic cable stations were required to be included on their respective country’s Tentative List for World Heritage Sites. The Heart’s Content Cable Station was named to Canada’s Tentative List in December 2017. The Valencia Cable Station was added to Ireland’s Tentative List in July 2022.
In September 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Newfoundland Government and the Kerry County Council, Ireland, to have the Transatlantic Cable Ensemble: Valentia – Heart’s Content recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The signing of this document formalizes the commitment and collaboration of the shared leadership to work toward this goal.