06
Nov
Bruce Springsteen - Cork and Kilkenny gigs sell out in 90 minutes
Kilkenny gig sell out in minutes as Bruce Springsteen fans snap up tickets. The Boss is coming to Ireland in May 2024
24
Aug
2012
Trail Kilkenny plans to spook visitors with new ghost trail
Kilkenny City Online: View all News Updates
Published on Friday 24 August 2012 09:21
Trail Kilkenny is exploring the possibility of adding a hi-tech, spine-chilling Ghost Trail to its suite of leisure and activity routes around County Kilkenny as part of its latest rural tourism initiative. The group is gathering ghost stories from around the County and plans to bring these to life via a smartphone app and video technology which should entice visitors to explore the County and visit the historic locations where these spooky events are reported to have occurred.
The idea is to develop a new and intriguing way to uncover Kilkenny’s rich heritage and varied history. But what makes this concept really interesting is how these stories will be delivered, according to Trail Kilkenny and Kilkenny Leader Partnership’s Eoin Hogan.
As well as a traditional printed trail guide and signage, Trail Kilkenny is investigating the use of cutting edge technology to lead you along the trails. Visitors will download an app to a smart phone or similar device through which a storyteller will narrate ghost stories; using the latest augmented reality techniques to visualise the story at some locations.
“Essentially a ghostly occurrence will be recreated using video at a historic site and this video will be activated when the visitor scans the scene at a particular location using a smart phone,” Eoin Hogan explained.
“This is history with a difference. Visitors are being encouraged to explore Kilkenny’s heritage by presenting it in a light, entertaining way that uses ghost stories to tie history with heritage sites around the County. This should have broad market appeal and we also plan to incorporate elements into the trail product to attract school tours market, families and visitors to Kilkenny.
“Other destinations market ghostly tours very successfully. Edinburgh’s Witchery Tour for example is a must for visitors. But this is a very innovative project. Nobody has developed something quite like this; using technology to add an exciting dimension to a County heritage tour,” he said.
Trail Kilkenny is collaborating with Thomastown based Glass Eye Productions on this project which is currently in its scoping phase and its feasibility and proposals for the development of the ghost trail will be reviewed before Halloween.
Share this:
