New heritage trail app launched in Clondalkin

A NEW heritage trail mobile app has been launched for Clondalkin Village.

The Self-Guided Walk Historical Trail of Clondalkin App is an amalgamation of five proposals, which included an app, information signage and audio tour of the Clondalkin Village Heritage Trail.

Following a tender and evaluation process, South Dublin County Council chose Mobanode Ltd to deliver the mobile heritage trail app for Clondalkin.

Mobanode will now deliver a fully interactive, user-friendly and user immersive heritage trail app available in multiple languages to highlight the wonderful history and heritage of Clondalkin Village whilst increasing the footfall in the area from both national and international tourists.

The app will have a map of Clondalkin, and the heritage locations will be  integrated within the app. It will also draw more attention to The Round Tower Visitor Centre as it will be a focal point of the trail.

 It is anticipated that the heritage trail app for Clondalkin Village will be available for download to mobile devices within the coming months.

The idea for the app came from the €300K – Have Your Say participatory budgeting initiative run in Clondalkin, Rathcoole and Newcastle last year where members of the public were asked to suggest funding ideas and then vote on a short list of agreed projects. 

 Frank Nevin, Director of Economic, Enterprise and Tourism Development said: “The most efficient and beneficial way of delivering the suggestions for Clondalkin was to introduce a downloadable app which will be compatible with all mobile devices and tablets.

He added: “As apps are a major part of most people’s lives, the objective is to create a fun, exciting and engaging app to not only showcase Clondalkin’s wonderful heritage but to also make it an engaging experience for users of all ages. The app will also integrate with Dublin’s Outdoors to highlight weekly events, tours and businesses in the area.”

 The Round Tower Visitor Centre, Clondalkin recntly marked its second birthday with a free family fun day.

Activities in the visitor centre and the monastic gardens included a magic show, giant board games, face painting, and balloon making, as well as free tours of the centre telling 1,000 years of local history. The event coincided with the weekend-long Clondalkin Village Festival. 

The local addition to the Dublin Heritage visitor scene opened its doors in July 2017.

The much-anticipated Round Tower visitor centre in Clondalkin features an interpretative centre, exhibition space, café, gardens, and terrace dining.

 “The Round Tower, Clondalkin has stood witness to over 1,000 years of social and cultural development of the village, from monastic to modern, Viking to Victorian,” said Daniel McLoughlin, Chief Executive of South Dublin County Council.

“The opening of this exciting facility came after years of work between South Dublin County Council, the OPW and the local community and marks a significant investment by the council into the economic, and tourism development in the county of South Dublin.”

Suitable for all ages, the interactive multimedia exhibition delves into Clondalkin’s medieval origins, from the foundation of St Crónán Mo-Chua’s monastery to revealing intriguing clues to the town’s fascinating Viking past.