Page 158 - Guerin Media | The Wild Atlantic Way
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It is a little known fact that rural West of Ireland Since this particular branch of the Conmacne lived by
has been a birth place of the most cutting edge the sea, they became known as the Conmacne Mara.
developments in transatlantic communications. (the Irish word for sea is muir, genitive mara, hence “of
When Marconi set up his duplex transatlantic the sea”.)
wireless service he chose Letterfrack as the County Galway west of Lough Corrib is referred to
location for his receiver station. The project as Connemara and traditionally divided into North
known as “Duplex operation”—initially Connemara and South Connemara. However, there
developed by Marconi at Letterfrack—quickly remains some mystery as to where it truly begins and
became a standard practice for commercial ends. This is a paradoxical landscape of geological
and military radiotelegraph communication jumble where masses of sandstone, limestone, granite
worldwide. At its peak this transatlantic and quartzite overlap and mushroom into mad creations
communications service employed several of nature. Prior to the construction of Victorian roads,
hundred people, transmitting world news across this area was out of bounds to the mainland - accessible
the ocean. only by sea and then nigh impossible to cross. It’s
Beginning in 1913, eastbound messages were moonlands and moorlands have given birth to a startling
sent from the Marconi Towers, Nova Scotia cultural resilience.
high power wireless station by cable across The defiant structures of Dún Aengus a fort on the
the wild Atlantic ocean floor, to Letterfrack. Arran Island of Inismore speaks volumes of the
Simultaneously, westbound messages were sent ferocious opponents the people of this region once had
from a high power wireless station at Clifden in to face. The local traditional boat, the currach is still
Galway, to Louisbourg Co. Mayo. The Letterfrack built and used in this region. This was the choice of
station was closed in April 1917. Some transport among both fishermen and farmers since time
experimental work was continued by Marconi immemorial.
engineers Franklin and Witt, into the early 1920s. The mountains of the Twelve Bens and the Owenglin
River flowing into the sea at An Clochán/Clifden, mark
Guglielmo Marconi the boundary between the two parts. The raging Atlantic
Ocean frames the region on the north south and east.
Known as the largest Irish speaking region or Gaeltacht
in Ireland, Connemara’s people exhibit a brisk rural
charm and a rugged independent spirit.
audio-visual room. Here you can find details of short- Clifden- An Clochán
distance walks, or the more energetic visitor can explore
further into the rugged Connemara countryside. The “stepping stones”
National Park is open to the public all year round. There
is a hostel at Letterfrack with facilities to camp and hire Often referred to as “the Capital of Connemara”,
bikes to explore the natural beauty of the surrounding Clifden is located on the Owenglen River where
countryside. Boating and sea-fishing are available as it flows into Clifden Bay. John D’Arcy (1785–1839)
locally. founded the town at the start of the 19th century and
lived in Clifden Castle (built around 1818, now a ruin)
Connemara west of Clifden.
Connemara derives from the tribal name Conmacne Guglielmo Marconi built his first high power
Mara, which designated a branch of the Conmacne, transatlantic long wave wireless telegraphy station
an early tribal grouping that had a number of branches here, four miles (6 km) south of the town, in 1905
located in different parts of the province of Connacht. to minimize the distance to its sister station in Glace
Bay, Nova Scotia. This was the first point-to-point
fixed wireless service connecting Europe with North
America and opened for public service with the
transmission of 10,000 words on 17 October 1907.
At peak times, over 400 people were employed by the
Clifden wireless station including chief Radio Operator
on the Titanic, Jack Phillips. On 19 June 1919 the first
transatlantic flight by Alcock and Brown crash landed in
Derrygimlagh bog just outside Clifden.
156
has been a birth place of the most cutting edge the sea, they became known as the Conmacne Mara.
developments in transatlantic communications. (the Irish word for sea is muir, genitive mara, hence “of
When Marconi set up his duplex transatlantic the sea”.)
wireless service he chose Letterfrack as the County Galway west of Lough Corrib is referred to
location for his receiver station. The project as Connemara and traditionally divided into North
known as “Duplex operation”—initially Connemara and South Connemara. However, there
developed by Marconi at Letterfrack—quickly remains some mystery as to where it truly begins and
became a standard practice for commercial ends. This is a paradoxical landscape of geological
and military radiotelegraph communication jumble where masses of sandstone, limestone, granite
worldwide. At its peak this transatlantic and quartzite overlap and mushroom into mad creations
communications service employed several of nature. Prior to the construction of Victorian roads,
hundred people, transmitting world news across this area was out of bounds to the mainland - accessible
the ocean. only by sea and then nigh impossible to cross. It’s
Beginning in 1913, eastbound messages were moonlands and moorlands have given birth to a startling
sent from the Marconi Towers, Nova Scotia cultural resilience.
high power wireless station by cable across The defiant structures of Dún Aengus a fort on the
the wild Atlantic ocean floor, to Letterfrack. Arran Island of Inismore speaks volumes of the
Simultaneously, westbound messages were sent ferocious opponents the people of this region once had
from a high power wireless station at Clifden in to face. The local traditional boat, the currach is still
Galway, to Louisbourg Co. Mayo. The Letterfrack built and used in this region. This was the choice of
station was closed in April 1917. Some transport among both fishermen and farmers since time
experimental work was continued by Marconi immemorial.
engineers Franklin and Witt, into the early 1920s. The mountains of the Twelve Bens and the Owenglin
River flowing into the sea at An Clochán/Clifden, mark
Guglielmo Marconi the boundary between the two parts. The raging Atlantic
Ocean frames the region on the north south and east.
Known as the largest Irish speaking region or Gaeltacht
in Ireland, Connemara’s people exhibit a brisk rural
charm and a rugged independent spirit.
audio-visual room. Here you can find details of short- Clifden- An Clochán
distance walks, or the more energetic visitor can explore
further into the rugged Connemara countryside. The “stepping stones”
National Park is open to the public all year round. There
is a hostel at Letterfrack with facilities to camp and hire Often referred to as “the Capital of Connemara”,
bikes to explore the natural beauty of the surrounding Clifden is located on the Owenglen River where
countryside. Boating and sea-fishing are available as it flows into Clifden Bay. John D’Arcy (1785–1839)
locally. founded the town at the start of the 19th century and
lived in Clifden Castle (built around 1818, now a ruin)
Connemara west of Clifden.
Connemara derives from the tribal name Conmacne Guglielmo Marconi built his first high power
Mara, which designated a branch of the Conmacne, transatlantic long wave wireless telegraphy station
an early tribal grouping that had a number of branches here, four miles (6 km) south of the town, in 1905
located in different parts of the province of Connacht. to minimize the distance to its sister station in Glace
Bay, Nova Scotia. This was the first point-to-point
fixed wireless service connecting Europe with North
America and opened for public service with the
transmission of 10,000 words on 17 October 1907.
At peak times, over 400 people were employed by the
Clifden wireless station including chief Radio Operator
on the Titanic, Jack Phillips. On 19 June 1919 the first
transatlantic flight by Alcock and Brown crash landed in
Derrygimlagh bog just outside Clifden.
156
