APPS THAT WILL HELP YOU SAVE MONEY ON STAYCATION
÷ GOOGLE LENS
Rather than pay a tour guide to bring you around an area you don’t know, download Google Lens on your phone. With this app, you can point the camera on your phone at a building or landmark and it will tell you what it’s called — as well as some historical facts about it. You can download this app from the Google Play store.
÷ SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY HERITAGE TRAIL
Finding free things to do in your own county or around your local area can help keep the cost of day-tripping down this summer. One useful app for those interested in exploring the heritage around South Dublin is the South Dublin County Heritage Trail app. This app — which was launched by South Dublin County Council (SDCC) last February — includes 16 heritage points of interest in and around Clondalkin village, such as St Brigid’s Well and the Round Tower. It is wi-fi activated and uses Android or Apple maps to direct users to nearby places of interest. It’s a free interactive app which can be downloaded to smartphones or tablets.
“Sometimes we fail to notice the architecture of the buildings around us and during the time of the lockdown’s 2km and 5km travel restrictions, when people were out on their daily walks, the app proved to be quite popular with downloads growing by 49pc over the three months,” said Ralph McGarry of SDCC’s county promotion unit. You can download the app from the Dublin’s Outdoors website at dublinsoutdoors.ie/apps.
÷ VOUCHERCLOUD
This is a handy app for staycationers looking for money off hotel stays or day trips such as Dublin Zoo and Sea Life Bray. You can also get pizza and restaurant deals on Vouchercloud as well as cinema discounts. You can download the free app on vouchercloud.ie/ vouchercloud-app.
÷ BLASKET ISLAND TOUR
Now most islands have reopened, a trip to the Blasket Islands may be on your wishlist. Rather than paying for a guided tour, use the Blasket Islands tour app, a free app from the Office of Public Works (OPW) which gives information on 16 key locations on the island and which has full GPS mapping to guide you around the Blaskets. You can download the app from Google Play. Remember, you can get free admission to a number of OPW sites on the first Wednesday of every month, including Charles Fort, Co Cork, Dún Aonghasa in Galway and
The Blascaod Centre in Co Kerry. Check opening hours beforehand and see if the site is reserved for cocooners or the medically vulnerable at any times.
All people with physical or intellectual disabilities, and their accompanying carers, are admitted free to any OPW- managed heritage site where an admission fee applies, as are children under 12.