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
