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A €280m cable is going to link Mayo and New York

The news could mean brilliant things for the economy out west…

shutterstock_61526641 Shutterstock / yienkeat Shutterstock / yienkeat / yienkeat

MAYO AND THE west are in for some interesting times with the news that a new high-speed fibre-optic cable between Ireland and the US is to be landed at Killala, near Ballina.

The cable will treble data connectivity speeds across the Atlantic when it goes live.  It’s the first such cable laid in over a decade, and the first to ever make direct landfall on Ireland’s west coast.

Not surprisingly, locals are pretty happy with how things have developed.

Killala Killala, Co. Mayo TripAdvisor TripAdvisor

Chairman of Mayo Council Damien Ryan says the news will ‘significantly increase’ the attractiveness of Mayo as a place in which to both work and invest, while the Taoiseach (in whose constituency the cable will land) described the venture as “a massive vote of confidence in the Irish economy”.

This will offer enormous opportunities for the West and for the Island as a whole.

Head of Mayo Council’s enterprise unit Joanne Grehan says the cable will put Mayo in a ‘very strategic position’ as a landfall location for a global asset.

joanne Joanne Grehan with Enda Kenny About Mayo About Mayo

“We’ll be driving the areas close to the cable’s landfall as a centre for the data processing, data storage and related industries,” she said.

Cloud computing and other Internet related industries are among the fastest growing in the world but require high powered, reliable global connectivity at a point usually close to the source.

Permission for a landing station for the cable was granted some time ago, but the €117 million in funding necessary to finalise the project has only just been approved for Dublin-based Aqua Comms (the firm behind the project) by global lender Nomura International.

The €280 million endeavour, due to begin construction this summer for a launch date sometime next year, will mean a vastly improved infrastructure for the likes of cloud computing businesses and data centres (such as the €850 million one Apple are set to build in Athenry, Co. Galway).

The cable will make landfall across the Atlantic Ocean at Shirley, New York.

Read: ‘This is Longford’s day’ – Enda Kenny

Read: Mayo ‘Fast & Furious’ imitators told “Donuts are for eating not car manoeuvres”

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43 Comments
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    Mute Dan The Man
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    Apr 21st 2015, 5:14 PM

    It’s a forward line mayo needs not a cable

    243
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    Mute Hermes
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    Apr 21st 2015, 6:00 PM

    They need a disco in Ballina as well – apparently the young lads in Crossmolina have to go to Carrick on SHANNON FOR A dISCO – MAYO IS BEING HAMMERTED AND IT SEEMS LIKE THEY WANT TO DEPOPULATE IT – NATURAL RESOURCES AND ALL THAT !

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    Mute Spoddgy
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    Apr 21st 2015, 6:37 PM

    Sure isn’t longnecks still there?

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    Mute Gaeltán
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    Apr 21st 2015, 10:28 PM

    “Ní stopfaidh sé choíche go seasfaidh sé síos i lár Chontae Mhaigh Eo.” mar a dúirt Ó Raftraigh

    13
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    Mute Tom Collins
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 2:01 AM

    Nothing to do with Enda of course

    7
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    Mute Elaine Coleman
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    Apr 21st 2015, 4:40 PM

    Brilliant news for Mayo :)

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    Mute little jim
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    Apr 21st 2015, 5:33 PM

    Finally, in the right place at the right time.

    60
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    Mute Martin O'Rourke
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    Apr 21st 2015, 4:52 PM

    It should assist the NSA in monitoring all our data traffic.

    109
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    Mute Stephen Earle
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    Apr 21st 2015, 4:57 PM

    Geographically it makes sense. Wouldn’t bring it in via Dublin would you?

    81
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    Mute Ronan Walsh
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    Apr 21st 2015, 6:50 PM

    No internet in dublin worth connecting to mayo, believe me i know.

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    Mute Whatsup Dok
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    Apr 21st 2015, 4:51 PM

    51st state

    68
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    Mute bacoxy
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    Apr 21st 2015, 7:31 PM

    Dunno if you want to start running another pipe into Mayo… I’d run that by all the locals first

    60
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    Mute Brian Ward
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    Apr 21st 2015, 5:43 PM

    High speed cable to mayo and on to slow speed service from eircom.

    60
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    Mute Alan mulvey
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    Apr 21st 2015, 4:42 PM

    Sure mayo has nothing to do with enda being a TD there. Yeahhhh right

    49
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    Mute Ivon Itchie Saq
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    Apr 21st 2015, 5:11 PM

    What do you mean????????????????

    31
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    Mute JJ O Riordan
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    Apr 21st 2015, 5:20 PM

    What do you suggest. Link the USA to Dublin? You’re clutching at straws there

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    Mute Eel Knack Mole
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    Apr 21st 2015, 5:21 PM

    Maybe you should look at a map of Ireland Alan

    63
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    Mute Alan mulvey
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    Apr 21st 2015, 6:07 PM

    Is mayo the only County on the west. Never said anything about dublin

    17
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    Mute Derek Sage
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    Apr 21st 2015, 10:39 PM

    So should Mayo not get investment of any kind simply on the basis that Enda is from Mayo?

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    Mute Spoddgy
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    Apr 21st 2015, 6:35 PM

    What exactly will it do for Mayo? It’s wires in the ground from what I can tell?

    48
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    Mute John Buckley
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    Apr 21st 2015, 10:29 PM

    No doubt Apple wouldn’t be building a data centre in the west coast of Ireland if this wasn’t in place. The hope is that other similar ventures may spring up.

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    Mute gerard devany
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 7:10 PM

    Spoddgy
    I’m sure it will be handy to hook up the Americans at Shannon airport, the military, I mean.

    2
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    Mute John Reese
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    Apr 21st 2015, 6:50 PM

    Good news for Ireland…I would not except loads of jobs to come on stream in this county as a result of this cable. The new N5 dual Carriageway and continued growth of Knock airport are far more important. The greenway and continued growth for tourism is also welcome. All Ireland finals aside Mayo is holding its own in difficult times.

    36
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    Mute John R
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    Apr 21st 2015, 5:12 PM

    Won’t make a damned difference to inward investment in Mayo. The new connection will increase connectivity to Ireland in general. Companies will locate based on a range of factors such as skilled labour, sectoral synergies, educational opportunities, attractive environment for staff etc. This will deliver nothing for Mayo. In the digital age where the connection lands is irrelevant. Connectivity is what counts. Once it lands those with connectivity can connect no matter where they are.

    35
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    Mute Mike
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    Apr 21st 2015, 5:30 PM

    Destined for Dublin then onto England/London.

    28
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    Mute Diarmaid O'Fionnachta
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    Apr 21st 2015, 7:12 PM

    Will probably mean a big investment in broadband infrastructure in mayo for better internet

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    Mute Hermes
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    Apr 21st 2015, 4:42 PM

    What was the name of that Mayo woman who was linked to a Yank while she over in the States on a government junket – Now she was a happy Mayo woman with her American connection I’D SAY – Pictured with Enda too so she was if I remember correctly ….

    23
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    Mute patjoejoe123
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    Apr 21st 2015, 6:17 PM

    keep digging :D

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    Mute Hermes
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    Apr 21st 2015, 9:14 PM

    why wouldn’t I – given my profession and all that pjj ……

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    Mute gerard devany
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 7:14 PM

    Well, Enid needs to be given his orders, that took some time for him to arrange ” Obama Care ” for us all, he should be a lot faster now.

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    Mute Unfortunately
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    Apr 21st 2015, 7:31 PM

    It’s going to mean f all in terms of the jobs sadly, don’t get jumping lads, it’s just a exchange point of connectivity where it will forward network traffic faster.
    Effectively it will probably mean other countries / places will just piggy back on this connection as how else would they connect with say Germany if first land point is Ireland. but enda is selling it as another success story by the looks of it tool

    19
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    Mute J. Dunn
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    Apr 21st 2015, 4:57 PM

    Enda’s exit plan?

    19
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    Mute J. Dunn
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    Apr 21st 2015, 6:14 PM

    Why all the reds? Teaching has to be easier with high speed broadband.

    17
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    Mute James Horkan
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    Apr 21st 2015, 5:10 PM

    Endas future secured

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    Mute Hermes
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    Apr 21st 2015, 5:18 PM

    I wouldn’t say that – the big paddy’s day jobs announcement is in hot water already in mayo ….. councillors have expressed concern that the industrial unit may be more valuable than being quoted -

    10
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    Mute Eel Knack Mole
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    Apr 21st 2015, 5:22 PM

    Trust me, Enda’s seat is secure, regardless of what is delivered for the constituency before the election

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    Mute Hermes
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    Apr 21st 2015, 5:58 PM

    I wouldn’t bet on it Eel – remember he nearly lost his seat a few years ago …. then again there are a lot of travellers in Castlebar ……….

    22
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    Mute patjoejoe123
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    Apr 21st 2015, 6:17 PM

    safest seat in the dail :)

    9
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    Mute Eel Knack Mole
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    Apr 21st 2015, 7:10 PM

    Indeed, it came down to a few votes between himself and Jim Higgins (also FG). He was just an oppostion TD at the time though.

    9
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    Mute Hermes
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    Apr 21st 2015, 9:17 PM

    And he still is – but we call them Europhiles now – or traitors – that was some craic from him running messages to the E.C.B. during the Bailout from information gleaned from the Class Act herself ….
    Maybe he was on some sort of promise or something ….

    5
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    Mute James Lyons
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    Apr 21st 2015, 7:23 PM

    And where is the first place you would blow up if you were targeting Western communications?

    8
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    Mute patjoejoe123
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    Apr 21st 2015, 6:15 PM

    thanks enda :)

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    Mute Sean McGovern
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    Apr 21st 2015, 5:24 PM

    Woohoo class news

    5
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