The Craic.co.uk – the new website and app for what’s Irish and what’s on!
The digital one-stop-shop for all things Irish has been commissioned by Birmingham Irish Association. They believe the new website and app – suitably called “The Craic” has the potential to provide a much-needed nationwide service by identifying and promoting Irish cultural and heritage and sporting events.
The Craic website and app will provide a database of all Irish venues, events and festivals across the UK. Users will be able to search for nearby up and coming Irish events and Irish organisations such as GAA clubs, dance schools and parish centres. The aim of the website is to display all available information on upcoming Irish events across the UK, which users can then filter by location, venue and event type e.g dancing lessons, trad sessions, or live music events.
The Craic will also feature a ticket-selling platform enabling the sale of digital tickets on behalf of all associated organisations, without expensive commissions going to third-party providers. It will also feature an Irish shop selling all your favourite merchandise, Kimberley biscuits, Barry’s Tea and of course Tayto’s crisps!
The Craic will enable venue owners and event organisers to upload their own events and listings to the website and app for free, ensuring content is always up to date and accurate. What’s more, both website and app will use GPS to provide directions to new venues if required and will organise content to promote events nearby – ensuring content is always relevant.
Maurice Malone, CEO of Birmingham Irish Association said, “We are tremendously enthusiastic about our new website and app. We’ve discussed the idea at length with the community and we know it’s something that will make a huge difference. It’s a huge step forward in providing an online service to promote local businesses and events.”
Peter Connolly, Culture and Heritage Project Officer at Birmingham Irish Association, and developer of the website and app said, “From talking to the community we established that there was a need for one big directory of Irish cultural and sporting events. Some local organisations can use social media and their websites to promote their events; others do not know where to start. We’ve spoken to a lot of organisations and the problem they all face is that they’re putting on great events and providing a valuable service, but there is little to no publicity, and they aren’t reaching the customers and clients that they have the potential to engage.”
The Craic App shows nearby Irish venues and businesses.
“The Craic website and app will provide one central point of information on all events and venues; live music, GAA clubs and dancing schools can log in and update their event listings, and we can even securely sell tickets on their behalf! It’s the perfect way to engage with second and third generation Irish, but also, one universal app will also engage the older members of our community who have iPads, tablets and phones but may have difficulty searching for the right information.”
The Craic website is in the final stages of being tested; volunteers are uploading event information, venue profiles and blog posts to populate the site. Several community events are currently testing the ticketing functionality and event check-in. Both website and app should be live in early June. The website can be reached at www.thecraic.co.uk and the app will be available on Google Play Store and Itunes. Anyone interested in joining The Craic can get in touch with Peter by emailing peter@birminghamirish.org.uk
