Bringing back to life Donegal’s Historic Maritime Heritage

Publish date: 13 July 2022

Three new maritime historical virtual reality experiences are being unveiled today by Donegal County Council at Fanad Lighthouse, Fort Dunree and Inishowen Maritime Museum.


Pictured L-R: Anne Marie McLaughlin - Ernact Project Manager, Ray Moore - Head of Fanad Lighthouse Committee, Cllr Donal Mandy Kelly, Garry Martin - Director of Services, The Cathaoirleach - Cllr Liam Blaney.

The three Virtual Reality experiences have been created as part of the EU funded TIDE project, and include: 

• ‘The Storm, The Sea – The Saldanha’ at Fanad Lighthouse,
• ‘Wrath of the Atlantic, Wrecks of the Armada’ at Inishowen Maritime Museum & Planetarium
• ‘Beware! Convoy Below World War 1’ at Fort Dunree.  

Speaking in advance of the launch and welcoming these new experiences Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council Cllr. Liam Blaney said:
“these new experiences not only help share the story of Donegal’s unique maritime history but also enhance the appeal of attractions such as Fanad Lighthouse, Fort Dunree and the Inishowen Maritime Museum.  By using this type of technology we can take people on a journey back in time to really understand and appreciate key events in our history and these will not only be of interest to visitors to the county but also to local people and most importantly to our children and young people”.  


Joan Crawford - Fáilte Ireland trying out the VR Experience pictured with Conor Lafferty - TIDE Project Officer.

The TIDE Project is funded by both the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme and Donegal County Council and is being led by Ernact.  Other project partners are from Northern Ireland, UK, France, Spain and Portugal.  The main focus of the TIDE Project is to promote a common maritime theme among all the projects partners while at the same time adding a new dimension to both the tourism and cultural heritage in the Atlantic region using the latest technology and to enrich the visitor experiences. 


Pictured L-R: Anne Marie McLaughlin - Ernact Project Manager, Margaret Storey - TIDE Project Officer, Eimear Ní Mhathúna - Fanad Lighthouse Manager.

The TIDE project focuses mainly on the Napoleonic, Spanish Armada, World Wars & Atlantic Migration eras.  

The public are invited to visit Fanad Lighthouse, Fort Dunree and the Inishowen Maritime Museum to enjoy these virtual reality experiences.
 

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