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A visit to Fort Dunree has now got even better with the addition of two new state of the art Virtual Reality experiences on site.
The first of these entitled ‘Beware! Convoy Below’ takes you back in time to the First World War era in the early 1900’s.
The visitor is taken to the ‘Lieutenant’ into a Kite Balloon which is part of a convoy of merchant ships coming from North America and heading for Lough Foyle!
You are welcomed onto HMS Margaret, a Royal Navy Destroyer which was launched in 1917 by Captain McConnell.
Their mission is to secure the convoy that will resupply precious goods such as food and necessities to the forces at the front of the battle. The Lieutenant will have to keep a watchful eye for U-Boats or even mines for several hours! Once the Kite Balloon is hooked up, the basket, balloon and Lieutenant is raised up to over 1,000 feet! Get familiar with Destroyers, Cruisers, Naval Trawlers, Minesweepers, Airships & Aircraft as you travel past Malin Head & Inishtrahull!
The Second experience ‘The Storm, The Sea – The Saldanha’ is set in the Napoleonic era, The HMS Saldanha and HMS Talbot took for shelter during strong gales and heavy seas.
The Saldanha under the stewardship of Captain William Packenham, sadly hit the Swilly rocks and shipwrecked off the coast of Fanad Head with the loss of 274 men. It was due to this tragedy, that Fanad Lighthouse was built and opened on 17th March 1817.
The Virtual Reality experience will take you back in time as the Captain Packenham’s ‘parrot’ on the Saldanha’s final journey. You will be the first in over 200 years to see the first image ever of the HMS Saldanha! Both experiences appropriately are located in the Saldanha Suite at Fort Dunree.
Other VR experiences are available in the Inishowen Maritime Museum and Fanad Lighthouse, this project was funded under the TIDE project which is funded by both the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme and Donegal County Council and is being led by the ERNACT network. Other project partners are from Northern Ireland, UK, France, Spain and Portugal.
As well as Virtual Reality Fort Dunree caters for everyone, there is the new exhibition at Fort Dunree which details the history of the Fort in 6 chronological chapters.
There is also a Wildlife Discovery Room, Exhibition Spaces, 3km of stunning walkways and the Coffee Cup, the most scenic coffee shop in Ireland. The site has recently been awarded the prestigious Travellers Choice Award from TripAdvisor.
A visit to Fort Dunree is a must for any visitor to Donegal, you can book online at www.fortdunree.com with opening hours daily from 10.30am until 4.30pm.
