Earlier this year, Valentia Slate achieved the coveted status of World Heritage Stone. There are only 55 of these worldwide and the only other Irish example of this designation is Connemara Marble. The designation was awarded by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS).
The designation came about through research completed as part of the Stonebuilt Ireland group, in which Geological Survey Ireland, Trinity College Dublin and the OPW were collaborators.
“Valentia Slate has all of the qualities needed for excellence in construction and domestic use. It is extracted underground on Valentia Island in the same facility that was opened by Peter Fitzgerald, the Knight of Kerry, in 1816. The company operates a zero-waste policy in extracting slate for a wide variety of purposes including flooring, roofing slates, kitchen countertops and funerary headstones." – Trinity College Dublin Article (link below).
The research team was led by Professor Patrick Wyse Jackson and Dr Louise Caulfield in collaboration with colleagues at Valentia Slate Company Ltd and Carrig Conservation Consultants. Aidan Forde, Iseult Conlon and Peter Cox were also on the research team. You can access the paper resulting from their research, published in the Irish Journal or Earth Sciences, HERE.
