Derry’s Walls receives funding boost
MAYOR of Derry City and Strabane District Council Cllr Maolíosa McHugh has welcomed news that the application for funding for the Walls Alive 400 project by Derry City and Strabane District Council is one of nine projects successful in securing grants of £500,000 aimed at identifying new projects to celebrate and promote our local diverse cultural heritage.
The funding is the result of a partnership between the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), Tourism NI and the Department for Communities Historic Environment Division to mark the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 (EYCH).
The announcement was made this week by Paul Mullan, Head of HLF Northern Ireland, who said:
“The EYCH is more than an opportunity to showcase our cultural heritage; it presents a challenge to the sector to creatively explore ways to fully realise the potential of our cultural heritage as a lever to attract additional investment, boost tourism and aid regeneration.”
Mayor McHugh said the funding was welcome news for the Council that will allow it to animate and showcase the Walls as part of the 400-year anniversary celebrations.
As part of the funding application the Walls Alive 400 – Bringing the Walls to life through Augmented Reality – will see digital technology linking visitors to the Walls and the city’s unique history by connecting with the wealth of heritage attractions within the area.
The Walls Alive 400 programme proposes to use cutting edge augmented reality to provide access to sets of short vignettes using a mix of images, audio and videos that will allow users to bring to life the heritage of the site using their tablet or smartphone.
“This is a really exciting and innovative project that will transform the Walls for the and further enhance our tourism offering, allow us to invest in our historic heritage and help us promote the city and region,” the Mayor added.
Securing the funding has also been welcomed by Visit Derry who are partners on the project,
Odhran Dunne from Visit Derry says the Walls Alive 400 project is hugely exciting for the city.
“It will allow us to use cutting edge technology to bring the Walls to life and encourage more people to immerse themselves in the story of the city.
“This project will greatly enhance our existing heritage tourism offering and help us to attract new visitors to the Walls and at the same time encourage them to enjoy the fantastic range of attractions, museums and galleries on offer in the district and wider North West region.”
Tags: