Voices of the Boyne

“Voices of the Boyne” is a locative, musical augmented reality game set across layers of Ireland’s past and present. Guided by sound rather than maps, you explore historic sites through music, voices, and playful challenges that bring history to life. The app includes experiences in the Battle of the Boyne, the Hill of Tara, and the National Botanic Gardens, each offering a unique journey through history, myth, and nature.

Battle of the Boyne
At the Battle of the Boyne, you move through Neolithic rituals, the clash of 1690 between King William III and King James II, and echoes of modern Ireland. The Battle Oak serves as your narrator, a living witness to the events of 1690, guiding you through the layered history of the site.

Hill of Tara
At the Hill of Tara, the Sheela-na-Gig, spirit of fertility, guides you through five ages: Neolithic, Fenian, Early Christian, Late Viking, and the Modern Era. From the Mound of the Hostages aligned with the rising sun of Samhain to the fires of Bealtaine, from the choosing of High Kings at the Lia Fáil to later myths and modern reflections, the land speaks across centuries.

Piano Flowers (National Botanic Gardens)
In the Piano Flowers experience at the National Botanic Gardens, you explore two layers of the landscape: Garden Flowers and Wild Flowers. Each layer reveals selected species, their stories, and their cultural and ecological significance.

Across all three experiences, the Raven and the Fox are your companions. The Raven carries you back in time and the Fox brings you forward. Recognise their voices and follow their cues. Sound is your compass.

Collect artefacts, uncover fragments of story, and encounter kings, queens, warriors, saints, druids, and mythical beings such as the Salmon of Knowledge and the Celtic Child. Remember that the one who chases two rabbits catches neither. Mercenaries lurk; if you hear them, turn to face them. Face your fears and prevail. Your heartbeat signals your health. If it weakens, look for berries to recover.

Music lies at the core of the experience. The soundscape weaves 17th century works by John Playford, Henry Purcell, and Jean-Baptiste Lully; original compositions for nature characters by Composer and Music Director Dr Svetlana Rudenko; traditional Irish music by Tim Doyle; contemporary works by John Buckley, Elaine Agnew, and Ian Wilson, including Buckley’s setting of W. B. Yeats’ The Song of Wandering Aengus; and additions such as Raiders March by John Williams.

Developed at Trinity College Dublin as part of the LoGaCulture project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme (Grant Agreement 101094036).
More info: logaculture.eu

Credits:
Concept Lead, TCD Principal Investigator: Prof. Mads Haahr
Collaborative AR Game Design: Prof. Mads Haahr, Dr Svetlana Rudenko, Joris Vreeke, Karun Manoharan
Programming: Karun Manoharan
Composer and Music Director: Dr Svetlana Rudenko (Piano, Logic Pro instrumentation, nature characters composition)
Graphic Design: Joris Vreeke, Breanne Pitt
Dialogues/Writing: Charlene Putney
Outreach and User Studies: Breanne Pitt
Voice Actors: Daniel Costello (Oak, Barber Surgeon, WB Yeats, Brian Boru, King Cormac Mac Airt, Mound of Hostages), Gerry Cannon (King James II, Schomberg, Viking King, King Laoghire, Aillen), Siobhán Aislinn (Salmon of Knowledge, Harp Girl, Maud Gonne, ban-druí), Cate Russell (River Boyne, Fox, Celtic Child, Sheela-na-Gig), Jessica Freed (Village Woman), Culann McCarthy (King William III, Grenadier, Modern Farmer, British Israelite, St Patrick, Fionn MacCumhaill, Lia Fail), Brían Ó Súilleabháin (Raven, Louis XIV), Mike Walsh (Mercenaries, Daniel O’Connell), Ceara Carney (Gormflaith, St Brigid).

Ambient sounds from Freesound.org:

Battle of the Boyne
• @ShangusBurger
• @madmanmusic
• @Joao_de_Deus
• @Canon
• @hellboy1305
• @newlocknew
• @ jc144940
• @Robinhood76
• @Spleencast

Hill of Tara
• @kvgarlic
• @Jagadamba
• @Vendarro

Flowers
• @straget
• @klankbeeld
• @ilmari_freesound