Discover Valentia Island

Valentia Island is an Irish island, located off the coast of Kerry, connected by a bridge to the village of Portmagee. The island is home to 650 people living on its land, mainly from tourism, animal husbandry and fishing … They live in houses with colorful facades, and whose tranquility has become a true art of living … Discover without further delay this island a little bit apart: the landscapes are fabulous, and the inhabitants are very hospitable!

History of Valentia Island

Footprints of a tetrapod dating back nearly 400 million years…

The island of Valentia is one of the places where the oldest known footprints in the History of the Earth were found. These footsteps are said to have been left by a Tetrapod in slate, and dated back nearly 400 million years. These footsteps would have been formed at the time when Valentia was not yet an island close to Ireland, but a swamp, located at the foot of the Caledonian Mountains in Scotland. It was only much later that traces of human life were also found on the island… These would date from the Mesolithic, and would have been identified in peat bogs (peat is a wonderful preservative)…

The island of Valentia installs a first international communication network

In the early 1800’s Valentia Island decided to become a telegraphic communication station… Being considered as one of the closest points to Newfoundland (3220km between the 2 points), Valentia decides to become the home of a transatlantic submarine telegraph cable linking Ireland to Canada.

The first message sent would date back to 1866, and would have been sent by Queen Victoria to the President of the United States James Buchanan. Strong of this first success, the communications by underwater telegraphic cable continued until 1966, date on which the activity ceased, now relayed by the satellite communications…

In spite of this interruption of service, the island of Valentia had a radiotelegraphic station built, in charge of monitoring the ships sailing on the Atlantic Ocean… This station was built in 1914 on Geokan Mountain, and is still in operation today…

Visit Valentia Island

An island with exceptional landscapes

The island of Valentia is a small island: measuring 11.2km for 3.2km wide, you will quickly go around the island. Accessible by a bridge linking the village of Portmagee to the island, you can easily reach Valentia, and visit it freely, without having to worry about the schedules of a possible shuttle bus linking the island to Ireland…

Valentia is the ideal place to do some hiking… Whether you walk through its city center, or its wilder environment, you will not lack possibilities in terms of walks ! Among the most important corners of Valentia, we recommend you the visit of the Pointe de Bray, in the south-west of the island…

This one has a magnificent watchtower, built in the 16th century. It allowed the 2,200 or so inhabitants living on the island at the time to keep an eye on the Atlantic Ocean and its ships. From this point, you will enjoy an absolutely exceptional panorama on the ocean, and the Skellig Islands, located not far from the Dingle Peninsula…