Italian/Irish inventor Guglielmo Marconi who revolutionised communication, will be celebrated at an event in Connemara’s Kylemore Abbey this weekend.

The abbey’s links with the electrical engineer will be explored by local historian John Hannon at a talk this Saturday, April 22nd.

Marconi and his chief engineer George Kemp spent several months working in and around Kylemore estate in 1911 as they developed the duplex wireless communication upon which modern mobile phone communication was founded.

A Marconi radio mast circa 1905

They were hosted by the Duke of Manchester. Florence Henry, the daughter of Mitchell Henry, also had links with the project, and Marconi’s team based their station site outside Clifden at Derrygimlagh Bog.

A postcard of Kylemore Castle 1905

Hannon’s talk will be introduced by Kylemore Abbey’s experience manager and history expert, Eithne O’Halloran, who recently launched a children’s book on the life of Aleen Cust, Britain and Ireland’s first female vet.

For more information on events or admission tickets to Kylemore Abbey, please see www.kylemoreabbey.com

#MarconiLectures – Marconi, will be the theme for a series of lectures held in the National Maritime Museum of Ireland, Dun Laoghaire on 22 February.

Each of the three talks (3:00 -6:30 pm) are to be presented by the Radio Officers' Association, topics are listed below.

'The Collections of the Maritime Museum, Dun Laoghaire' (Seamus O'Connor)

'Marconi's Wireless Stations at Clifden and Letterfrack' (Shane Joyce and Michael Gibbons)

'The Making of BBC Coast, with Irish Navy Personnel, on Marconi's Radio Station at Clifden' (Frank McCurry and Tom Frawley)

All are welcome to attend. To book contact: Colman Shaughnessy, Radio Officers Association or by phone: 086 2489319 in addition to emailing: [email protected]
To cover the costs, voluntary donations of €5 would be appreciated.