THE MARCONI STATION

Guglielmo Marconi caused a communications sensation when he transmitted wireless messages from his station at Poldhu in Cornwall to Newfoundland on 12th December 1901.

After receiving a grant of $80,000 from the Canadian Government to build a station at Glace Bay in Nova Scotia to transmit wireless communication with Poldhu, he experienced extreme difficulty in providing commercially viable communications and decided to move his easterly station as far west as possible and decided on Derrigimlagh, just outside Clifden. The station was officially opened on the 17th October 1907, when commercial signalling commenced between Clifden and Glace Bay.

Technological advances were made in the later years and soon a more powerful station was built at Caernarfon in North Wales. In addition, the Clifden station was attacked by republican forces in July 1922 and some buildings were damaged. The Marconi Company sought compensation from the new Free State government, but this did not materialise. The station was closed shortly after and its remains were sold as scrap.