National Famine Way Walking Tour App
For the Irish Heritage Foundation and The National Famine Way we created a walking tour geo-companion app where visitors could make the most of the 160KM tour.
Background & The Brief
The National Famine Way is a 165km trail that traces the footsteps of the Strokestown tenants, men, women and children who were marched from Roscommon to Dublin in 1847 after they failed to pay their rent. In Dublin they boarded a ship to Liverpool before journeying to North America on board some of the worst 'coffin ships' of the time. Not all of them made it alive and they became known as the 'Missing 1490'.
The Irish Heritage Foundation worked with us to develop and app that would tell the story of the 'Missing 1490' and enable visitors to the National Famine Way to immerse themselves in this extraordinary time in Irish history.
The 'companion app' enabled tourists to get the most out of the 165km tour and enjoy the experience at their own pace.
By using the app and especially the geo mapping features visitors can join the app at any point along the route and learn more about each point of interest with video and audio guides, accomodation/restaurant guides, maps, photos, augmented reality filters, and promotions.
Once visitors completed the tour they received a certificate of completion that they could share on social media.
What we delivered
-Geo‑location mapping showing your progress in real time across the towpaths and roads
-Self-guided but immersive: It gives walkers the freedom to travel at their own pace (and join and leave as they wish) while being deeply engaged with the trail’s history.
-Audio and visual storytelling, including local history, archival facts, and expert commentary at over 30 physical way‑markers—bronze casts of 19th‑century children's shoes along the route
-Augmented Reality filters and selfie options
-Shareable certificate of completion
-Videos of famine experts (e.g., professors Christine Keneally, Mark McGowan) recorded on-site, offering deeper historical context
-Local amenities guide —cafés, accommodation, toilets—to help plan rest stops
-Fully offline-capable: no mobile data needed once downloaded.
-Ticketing options
We were looking for a trusted partner to help us deliver the iOS / Android app for The National Famine Way, walking tour. Return2Sender patiently guided us every step of the way and provided lots of nice suggestions to make it as user friendly as possible as well as maximising our budget and prioritising features and benefits for our audience.
Jo Tynan
Irish Heritage Trust Head of Marketing, Communications & Digital Engagement
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