Visitors to Dublin will soon be able to follow in the footsteps of the Easter Rising heroes like Michael Collins as a new trail of key sites around the city has been sanctioned.
The trail was first proposed in 2010, and this week Dublin Lord Mayor Christy Burke confirmed that the council will go ahead with the plan.
It will take tourists around the major sites of the Easter Rising, including the General Post Office where the Proclamation of Independence was read out by Padraig Pearse.
The trail should be in place for the centenary celebrations of the Easter Rising, in April 2016.
It will be loosely modelled on the ‘Freedom Trail’ in Boston, which is a two and a half mile path that visits sites associated with the American Revolution.
Fianna Fáil councillor Paul McAuliffe said: “A trail marked on the pavement serves as a physical reminder on the streets of the capital.
“It will create employment for those in the tourism industry and improve the visitor’s experience, making it easy to navigate the way to important buildings or locations associated with the 1916 Rising.”
The details of the Dublin trail are still yet to be finalised. A path marked by a painted green stripe or red bricks on the pavement are two options currently being discussed. The name that will be given to the trail is also undecided.
McAuliffe added: “I think we should try to find something unique, maybe add in the Irish language, and certainly get the public involved. Whatever we call it, though, Dubliners will come up with their own name for it.”
It is hoped that the trail will become a popular tourist attraction in Dublin, and will be used to promote local businesses.
Visitors will be encouraged to download an app on to their smartphones which will highlight the best stop-off points and places to visit while on the trail.
