An old trend has been gaining new traction recently.
Dark Tourism, as it’s called, is tourism where people visit locations that have negative associations.
Instead of going to places like the local museum, or shopping in the towns, dark tourists prefer visiting things like famine graveyards, battlegrounds prisons.
Dr. Gillian O’Brien, author and reader of Irish History at John Moore’s University in Liverpool, is travelling around Ireland with the intention of publishing a book on Dark Tourism.
Dr’ O’Brien spoke at a conference in Sligo Gaol recently, a place that could be become a future dark tourist spot.
When asked about the appeal, Gillian says people have an interest in places they couldn’t go to before.
There are some places to visit in the North West that people may not realise have darker pasts.
While it may seem unusual to some, the concept of Dark Tourism is nothing new.
To keep up to date on where Gillian O’Brien is heading next, you can follow her on Twitter by clicking HERE.
