Black Valley to get landline service

EIRCOM is to invest €500,000 to provide a landline service for 70 residents in a Kerry valley, Tourism Minister John O’Donoghue announced yesterday.

In October 2005, Eircom said it could not provide a landline phone service to the Black Valley on grounds of cost and because of the mountainous terrain.

“This will see the telecommunication system updated, delivering both voice and broadband services, which will meet the needs of the residents in the area,” Mr O’Donoghue said.

The valley, which is in the minister’s constituency and lies between Killarney and Kenmare, does not have a mobile phone service and currently depends on a radio-link phone system that does not always work

This battery-operated system is now to be replaced by Eircom. Mr O’Donoghue said he was pleased with this “satisfactory outcome”.

The valley was one of the last places in Ireland to get electricity, in the late 1970s.

However, the valley could still have a long wait for mobile phone reception because of restrictions in the Kerry County Development Plan.

Under the plan, mobile phone companies are not granted planning permission to erect masts in scenic, mountainous areas such as the Black Valley.