The eighth annual Valentia lecture takes place this afternoon at the historic cable station on the island.
The keynote topic this year is transatlantic relations.
The annual lecture is organised by the Valentia Transatlantic Cable Foundation, and has a range of events taking place until late tonight.
The keynote topic this year is “Transatlantic Relations – a beacon in a turbulent world”, and among the speakers are MEP Billy Kelleher and Senator Jerry Buttimer.
A panel discussion featuring young leaders across enterprise, politics, academia and sport, will also take place later, including Minister for Finance Jack Chambers.
The panel of under-34s is also a tribute to Cyrus Fields, who was only 34 when he embarked on the challenge to connect both sides of the Atlantic.
This year’s lecture will once again feature an online ‘link-up’ with Hearts Content in Newfoundland, Canada, honouring the connection between the two places first established by the undersea transatlantic telegraph cable back in 1858.
The Transatlantic Cable Project is also still in the process of securing UNESCO World Heritage Status, and in 2022, made it onto the Irish tentative list.
Mary Rose Stafford, Head of School of Business, Computing and Humanities at the MTU, is on the board of the cable foundation.
She says key appointments are being made to assist with the bid.
