Rollout works near completion in Kerry valley that was one of the last places in Ireland to be connected to the electricity grid

13 September 2024: National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company rolling out the National Broadband Plan (NBP) has today (Friday) hosted an event in the Black Valley, Co. Kerry to mark the first connections to high-speed fibre broadband in the remote location.   

Works to connect the Black Valley are almost complete with most homes and farms in the area able to connect to high-speed fibre broadband. The remaining build works for a small number of premises in the most remote parts of the valley are set to be completed in the coming months.  

Black Valley was famously one of the last regions in Ireland to be connected to the electricity grid in 1977. The completion of these works will mean that residents in the area will have the same access to 1 Gigabit, reliable broadband as any of the almost 290,000 premises that NBI has passed across the country. 

Works to connect the Black Valley involved unique challenges with NBI consulting with government officials, conservationists and local residents to ensure that the fibre rollout to the valley caused minimum disruption or impact to the natural beauty and heritage of the region. 

Minister of State Ossian Smyth was present at the event which included local public representatives and residents of the Black Valley. Minister Smyth said: “The rollout to Black Valley encapsulates the work of the National Broadband Plan and I’m very proud to be here today to see first-hand the impact that a connection to high-speed broadband will have for local residents and businesses.” 

“The Government is committed to ensuring that no community, home or business is left behind on connectivity. The National Broadband Plan is one of the largest State infrastructure projects since rural electrification, and communities such as the residents of Black Valley will reap the benefits of it for decades to come.”  

Peter Hendrick, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland said: “The delivery of fibre broadband to the Black Valley is a significant milestone for NBI, and we are delighted to have end customers already connected and enjoying the benefits of reliable, high-speed broadband. This was one of the most challenging parts of our rollout, and we are delivering it with minimum impact to the natural beauty of the region and without disruption to the Black Valley’s important tourism season.”  

“We have always seen our work in the Black Valley as a symbol of NBI’s wider mission to deliver high-speed fibre broadband to rural Ireland as part of the National Broadband Plan. Residents in the valley can now avail of the same life-changing benefits of fibre broadband as any of the 94,000 homes, farms and businesses that have already connected to our network across the country.”  

Noting that NBI are in the final phases of completing build works in the Black Valley, Mr Hendrick, concluded, “I want to thank everyone involved in making this part of our project such a success and wish all broadband operators well as they onboard customers onto the NBI Network.” 

Kealan Donoghue, Director of Broadband & TV, eir, commented, “This is a fantastic achievement for NBI, and it is one that eir are proud to be part of. The Black Valley was famously the last place in Ireland to get electricity and now the area is taking a giant step forward in terms of its connectivity options. We know that, for communities like the Black Valley, accessing high-speed broadband can transform social connections, enhance the work or study from home experience, as well as enriching entertainment services. At eir, we are proud to have delivered 5G mobile connectivity to the area last year and to now enhance that for our customers with fibre broadband and eir TV. We are thrilled to have played a role in connecting this beautiful valley and we look forward to continuing to expand our connectivity to benefit communities all across Ireland.”