Valentia Island Kerry
Valentia Island off the southwest Kerry coast is one of the most scenically dramatic islands on the Irish Atlantic coast, a five-mile island accessible by bridge from Portmagee or by ferry from Renard Point that combines spectacular cliff and coastal scenery, important geological and heritage sites and the distinction of being the eastern terminus of the first successful transatlantic telegraph cable laid in 1866. The combination of the scenery, the history and the characteristic Kerry island landscape makes Valentia one of the most rewarding island destinations in Ireland. The Skellig Ring road connecting Portmagee and Waterville via Valentia Island and the cable car viewpoint above the Skellig islands provides some of the finest coastal scenery in Kerry, with views of Skellig Michael and Little Skellig clearly visible from the island on clear days. The dramatic presence of the Skelligs offshore provides a constant reminder of the extraordinary early medieval monastery perched on those Atlantic rocks. The slate quarries on the island, operational from the early nineteenth century until recent times, provided slate that was used in significant buildings across the world including the Paris Opera House and the British Houses of Parliament. The geological interest of the island extends to the Tetrapod Trackway at Geokaun Mountain, a set of fossilised footprints approximately 385 million years old left by one of the earliest animals to walk on land, one of the most significant palaeontological finds in Ireland.