Downpatrick Head - Ireland

There is a landscape of military archaeological and historical remains on the headland with surprisingly far-flung links abroad. A medieval or post-medieval promontory fort on the east side of the headland gave the name Dun Phadraig or Patrick’s fort, while Dun Briste, the broken fort, suggests that another fort existed before being lost to erosion ( or Patrick’s crozier). Poll a’ Sean Tine was the scene of a tragic loss of life of rebels who had joined the French in Killala in 1798 and who were hiding out on ledges at sea level when the English redcoats were rounding up participants after the surrender by the French. Military remains from World War II include the watchtower and EIRE marker, which were used by our Defence Forces to guard our neutral territory. Except we were ‘neutral on the side of the Allies’ and daily monitored the Allies’ flying boats from Lough Erne as they flew along the Sligo and Mayo coast, having taken the shortcut of the Ballyshannon corridor to get more rapidly to the protection duties for the convoys approaching Europe. - Dr Seamas Caulfield.

In the Stratus project, we will use VR to enhance visitor experiences, help direct the flows of visitors to tourist sites and inform policy. We will push the limits of VR today to enable its potential to be realised in the future. We will develop VR solutions that enhance and integrate exploration of cultural and natural heritage. This will bring together real-world media (aerial, 360, 3D, and stereoscopic) with virtual world media, enabling new perspectives on natural and cultural heritage to enrich onsite experiences and inform digital narratives.