Tipperary community group involved in producing digital story map of Knockmealdown Mountains

Knockmealdown Active has collaborated with the Irish Uplands Forum (IUF) and St Declan’s Way to create a digital “story map” of the Knockmealdown Mountains area.

The project was completed with financial support from the Heritage Council.

Deirdre Lewis of the IUF worked with Gráinne Moynihan of St Declan’s Way Committee and Mark Rylands of Knockmealdown Active to compile a huge volume of information and translate it into the digital StoryMap.

They were supported by Dominic Robinson of Geospatial Solutions. The result is a highly effective means of presenting complex natural systems, drone imagery and living memories of the mountains.

This venture digitally captures some wonderful storytelling, including the legend of Petticoat Loose at Bay Lough.

There are memories of gathering ‘hurts’ (fraochán, whortleberry, bilberry) as a young girl during the 1940s by the indomitable Peggy Rylands, who is in aged in her 90s, and the story of excommunicated Quaker, Samuel Grubb, famously buried standing up, just above The Vee.

This is a pilot project that attempts to introduce people to some of the geographical and cultural aspects of this upland area.

When an individual accesses the website or scans the QR code, they are brought to a digital platform containing a range of information about the geology,hydrology, landscape change, settlement patterns, archaeology and culture contained within the environs of the Knockmealdown Mountains.

St Declan’s Way features on the digital map, as part of the pilgrim trail from Cashel to Ardmore traverses the Knockmealdown Mountains above Goatenbridge.

Viewers can see short 360-degree videos from the different mountain peaks in the range, as well as cave divers exploring some of the important aquifers in the area.

You can begin to explore this beautiful area from all these unique perspectives at https://bit.ly/40PDii7.