New app from the Republic of Ireland commemorates Irish culture & St. Patrick’s Day

In time for St. Patrick’s Day, the Royal Irish Academy, in conjunction with its partners, announced today a new, interactive app produced with Adobe Digital Publishing Suite that engages users with the history and culture of Ireland.  Exploring the rich heritage of the country through the lens of significant cultural objects, the app, “A History of Ireland in 100 Objects”, not only marks St. Patrick’s Day, but also Ireland’s ascension to the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Rich with video, audio and animation, the app showcases Irish history and culture through the country’s treasures.  Designed to promote engagement with the country’s ideals and heritage, the app immerses readers into the country’s history and encourages them to learn more.

“Fintan O’Toole, a journalist from The Irish Times, launched the project in 2011 with a series of newspaper columns highlighting 100 objects from Ireland, the UK and Norway that connect with Ireland’s rich past,” writes Joe Zeff, whose design firm produced the app.  “Those columns became a hardcover book, and that book became the series of apps that we designed and developed for multiple platforms using Adobe Digital Publishing Suite.”

Seeking to make the app available to the widest spectrum of users possible, the Royal Irish Academy used the multi-platform functionality of Digital Publishing Suite to deliver the app on iPad, iPhone and on Android tablets, including the Amazon Kindle Fire. The iPhone version is of particular note because it delivers formatted, well-thought out content that fits the on-the-go consumption habits of iPhone users – especially to visitors to Irish museums.

The app is free for download until March 31, 2013 and is a project of the Royal Irish Academy, the National Museum of Ireland and The Irish Times supported by the Presidency of the European Council of the European Union and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland.  Preview the app through a short video below.

• Download the iPad/iPhone app
• Download the Kindle Fire app
• Download the Android tablet app