The Irish Folktales demonstrator aims to promote the richness of Ireland’s storytelling tradition in an online educational context and, within the broader context of the EuropeanaSpace Project, to demonstrate the potential that cultural heritage and creative industry partnerships can have.
The folktales are presented in a digital application, a relevant and accessible format to connect ancient folktales with a modern, digitally literate audience. Valued-added elements, such as audio, historical context, lesson plans, interactives and user upload, enhance the primary content and enrich the user experience. Interactive elements allow the user to create a personal story.
Poetry and folktales used in the demonstrator:
- The Stolen Child, by W.B. Yeats
- The Fairies, by William Allingham
- The Children of Lir
- The Cattle Raid of Cooley
Newly created illustrations were designed for the demonstrator and audio and video recordings by storyteller complement the resources.
The Local Government Management Agency of Ireland, which leads the Demonstrator, is working in partnership locally with teachers, historians, artists and multimedia professionals to develop these elements. The Irish Folktales application enables educators, in the broad sense of the term, to engage with digital technologies and facilitate their use within the learning environment, increasing digital literacy development generally. At the same time, it demonstrates the potential use of digital cultural content and Europeana to creative industries.
Download a presentation of the Irish Folktales App (PDF, 1 Mb)
