Eoin Hogan on his way to capturing 46km of Co. Clare views.
Google has just launched the first Irish collection from the ‘Trekker Loan Programme’ with scenes from some of the most remote trails in Co. Clare.
It will allow people to use ‘street view’ to virtually visit some of the most scenic landscape in Ireland, bringing the scenery to millions of people around the world.
Boasting some award-winning walks and trails, Clare has become an increasingly popular destination for tourists both from home and away. To capture the county’s most beautiful and unique sights, Google teamed up with the Clare Local Development Company, the first organisation to partner with Google on the Trekker Loan programme in Ireland, so that people can now explore these picturesque trails from their phone, tablet or computer.
Eoin Hogan, Rural Recreation Officer for Clare Local Development Company and Project Leader said: “Co. Clare has arguably some the best, and most varied, trails on offer of any county in Ireland. Our motivation for getting involved in the Google Trekker Loan programme was to be able to showcase our stunning native landscape and inspire a wider audience to come and visit the county’s trail for themselves.”
Taking in one of Ireland’s most famous landscapes, the Cliffs of Moher trail is a 12km Atlantic coastal walk linking the towns of Liscannor to Doolin using roadways and skirting along cliff-top pathways. Now, people can use Street View to view the route for themselves, even taking in the local flora and fauna, including a colony of seabirds such as puffins and guillemots.
Eoin said that over the period of three weeks and 46 kilometres, the team collected 21 hours, or 1,260 minutes of footage from six key trails. The project was a joint effort made possible by the help of many local farmers who provided access to their land, Clare County Council, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Failte Ireland and Shannon Development.”
Other loop walks, farm tracks and sandy paths to be captured include the Lough Avalla Loop through a working farm of sheep, goats and cattle, the Ballycuggeran Loop overlooking the beautiful Lough Derg, the O’Brien’s Bridge trail of canal towpaths and riverbanks, as well as the Carran Loop through the village of Carron and the Blackhead trail.