KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL LAUNCHES INNOVATIVE NEW TOURISM AUDIO GUIDE

Kilkenny County Council has launched a new audio guide of the city’s best loved and most iconic historic heritage sites.  Entitled ‘Medieval Kilkenny Tour’, the guide is part of the many activities Kilkenny has lined up this week to celebrate Heritage Week and offers an informative and engaging audio tour of the City’s heritage sites, along the renowned Medieval Mile.

The audio story recounts the beginnings of the city in the 6th Century, when a monastery was founded by St Canice, and follows the fascinating history of the city through the centuries. The guide is designed with visitors in mind and can be streamed to mobiles, tablets and computers.

The project, which is undertaken by Kilkenny’s Destination Recovery Taskforce aims to encourage visitors both local and national to visit the city and enjoy its heritage sites in an easy to use and informative way.

Attending the launch was Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, TD. Minister Noonan, a former Mayor of Kilkenny and long-serving Council member, said ‘I am delighted to be here in Kilkenny to mark Heritage Week and to celebrate the launch of this excellent audio guide which will introduce locals and visitors alike to the rich heritage of the Marble City and its surrounding county. While the pandemic has made our world smaller, it has given many of us a new-found appreciation of the incredible heritage on our doorstep. Innovations like this allow even more people to engage with our local built, cultural and natural heritage and to be enriched by it. I would like to congratulate Kilkenny County Council and Kilkenny Tourism for their initiative in creating this resource which will bring great enjoyment to many’.

Commenting on the launch, Tourism Officer at Kilkenny County Council, Martina Comerford said; “We are delighted to be launching this audio guide today, our heritage in Kilkenny is part of the fabric of generations of this county and now for the first time visitors can enjoy the story of Kilkenny on foot, as they ramble around our City streets with this wonderful guide. It’s a welcome addition to all the innovative tourism initiatives that have been developed with Kilkenny Tourism recently and we look forward to many visitors downloading the guide and exploring the heritage this county has to offer”.

Chairperson of Kilkenny Tourism, Brian Tyrrell added: “At a time when outdoor tourism attractions have never been so instrumental in getting tourism back on its feet, this audio guide is the perfect complement to visitors here on short breaks or overnights here in Kilkenny. We want to extend a huge thanks to Kilkenny County Council for this great initiative in helping develop Kilkenny as a resilient tourism destination post Covid lockdown.”  

Visitors can download the guide at: https://www.abartaheritage.ie/product/medieval-kilkenny-tour/

NOTE TO EDITOR: This audio guide was produced by Abarta Heritage, on behalf of Kilkenny County Council. The story was written by Neil Jackman and Tara Clarke, narrated by Gerry O’Brien, and recorded at Bluebird Studios with sound engineer Declan Lonergan and producer Róisín Burke.

-Ends-

Caption: Kilkenny County Council Launches New Tourism Audio Guide

Repro Free: Wednesday 19th August 2020. Pictured: Mayor John Coonan,  Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan, TD.  Martina Comerford Tourism Officer Kilkenny County Council , Andrew McGuinness Cathaoirleach

Media Release Issued by: TL Marketing