Overview
Valentia Island’s association with meteorology began in 1860, when the island was chosen as a location for an observatory station due to its telegraphic link to London via the trans- Atlantic cable. Its importance for meteorological observations were immediately recognised, being in the path of most of the weather systems from the Atlantic. The Valentia Observatory is one of the oldest monitoring stations in the world.
The Observatory was set up in a house leased from the Knight of Kerry at the Revenue on the Shore Road (now in ruins). It then transferred in 1892 to its current location outside of Cahersiveen but retained the name Valentia Observatory.
Met Eireann has relocated environmental and wind monitoring aspects of their operation back to Valentia Island because of concerns the current site on the main Ring of Kerry route has become ‘comprised’ by an increase in housing and traffic in recent years.
Sure we always knew that the air was purer on our island!!!
