TRANSATLANTIC TATTLE AND TETRAPOD TRACKWAYS

I hear you – “What the heck do those two things have in common?!”  Well, I didn’t just pull a title out of my ear because it was nice and alliterative, so I’m about to tell you. 

Both of those things are part of the history of Valentia Island!  Valentia Island is one of Ireland's most westerly points and we visited as part of our trip to the Skellig Islands.  

As if the Skellig Islands weren’t cool enough, we learned while we were out there that there is a tetrapod trackway. Tetrapods are somewhere in the neighbourhood of 400 million years old and are believed to be an important evolutionary step as the first amphibious creatures crawled out of the swamp onto land, leaving their tracks for us to find.  The site was only discovered in 1993 by a geology student. A steep path leads along the landscape down to the site and a picturesque walk ends at a viewing platform where multiple tracks are clearly visible.  Despite the physical exertion of the 618 steps to the peak of the Skelligs, we made the short, steep walk to the trackways and back. Along the path, we met Bev Truss of Hogsprickle Rehab Centre and had a good chat.  It’s not every day you meet a hedgehog wildlife rescuer!

Ok, so that’s the Tetrapods. What about the Trans-Atlantic Cable?  Remember the Old Cable House we stayed at with the skeleton key, gorgeous rooms and amazing restaurant? That is where we learned the history of the first transatlantic cable laid across the Atlantic ocean. The cable station is located on Valentia Island.  Two ships were dispatched from a mid point and cable laid in each direction. Numerous failed attempts were made until finally on August 5, 1858 a full trans-Atlantic cable was laid from Valentia Island, Ireland to….guess where…..Trinity Bay, Newfoundland! This cable allowed almost instant information transfer from Ireland to North America. Game changer! Newfoundland keeps showing up with a lot of firsts for Trans-Atlantic stuff, being the closest point of contact. The first wireless radio signal, the first trans-Atlantic flights, the first trans-Atlantic cable.

Our room key at the Old Cable House had the name Michael Faraday on it, so I had to look that up. Wikipedia to the rescue, who says Faraday's "main discoveries included the principles underlying electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism and eletrolysis." Faraday was an extremely influential scientist who seems to be the guy responsible for the notion of conductive cables. Click the Wikipedia link about him at  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Faraday - it's very interesting. 

Some other extras on this trip:

• Some kind of crazy glowing jellyfish that I think is a Compass Jellyfish. Look, but don't touch is the warning. Turns out jellyfish can leave their tentacle behind (and often do) after they've stung something and continue to sting even when it is not attached to their body anymore! Steer clear seems like sound advice. 
• Fanta!  The Old Cable House had orange Fanta, which is almost healthy with 8% real juice!
• The previously mentioned seafood mix feast because it was just so darn amazing. Even I ate it all. 
• Thatched yellow cottage with cool pictures painted on it. 
• Quintessential "L" road - a dirt track, basically, with a speed limit of 80 kph. With what?!  I wouldn't go 80 kph on that road with a dirt bike! 

It seems impossible that we discovered so much in the same day, but what a day it was! The adventures just keep coming.  It is quickly becoming obvious that even a month is not enough time to explore all there is to see without adhering to a much more punishing schedule which we have no interest in.