Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Visitor Experiences Through Storytelling In Interpretive Tour Guiding, Naoko Yamada

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

Heritage interpretation enables visitors to make sense of their experiences by communicating meaningful messages at natural and cultural heritage sites. By fostering understanding, appreciation, and personal relevance, interpretation enriches visitor experiences and encourages responsible attitudes and behaviors. Among various interpretive approaches, storytelling has emerged as a particularly promising means of achieving these outcomes. However, research examining how storytelling enriches heritage interpretation and promotes deeper visitor engagement remains limited. This conceptual paper synthesizes literature from storytelling, psychology, marketing, tourism, and heritage interpretation to develop a framework explaining how storytelling influences interpretive outcomes. The framework proposes that story elements activate psychological mechanisms, …

Hajj Pilgrimage And Spatial Behaviour In Sacred Space, Zuhriddin Juraev, Young-Jin Ahn, Ji-Yeong Gu

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This study examines the behavioural and spatial dynamics of the Hajj pilgrimage through the conceptual lens of behavioural geography, focusing on how sacred space, ritual choreography, and communal experiences shape religious engagement. Centred on the Kaaba and surrounding pilgrimage sites, this study explores how ritual practices such as Tawaf, Sa’i, and standing at Arafat construct immersive and affective experiences for pilgrims. Drawing on an interpretive analysis of visual and textual sources, the study argues that sacred space operates not only as a physical setting but also as a symbolic framework that mediates spiritual transformation and social cohesion. It also highlights …

The Reasons And Motivations For Unsafe Pilgrimage During Covid-19: Analysis Of Shiite Experiences Of Pilgrimage In The Last Days Of Safar In Iran, Hamdollah Sojasi Qeidari, Fahimeh Jafari

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Unsafe pilgrimage is defined a religious journey that may have life risks. From the outbreak of COVID-19, for instance, many people were infected and died, but despite the severe conditions all over the world including Iran, one of the most famous and biggest pilgrimage events was held in Mashhad, Iran. This study tries to explore the causes and motivations of unsafe pilgrimage over the period when COVID-19 was a threat. To do the research, ethnographic method for collecting the data and Colaizzi’s interpretive phenomenological method for analysing the experience of 38 pilgrims doing foot-pilgrimage were used. The results show that …

Alchemy Today! Critical Perspectives On Digital Hermeneutics: The Fifth Annual Conference Of The European Culture And Technology Laboratory., Connell Vaughan, Ioana Cecălășan, Mick O'Hara, Noel Fitzpatrick

Books/Book Chapters

The 5th Annual Conference organized by the European Culture and Technology Laboratory ‘ECT Lab+’ and this year hosted by Baltan Laboratories, Eindhoven, Netherlands aims to bring together experts from the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Technology, and other fields exploring ways of enquiry that enrich (non-)positivist ways of knowing as well as post-structuralist critiques. The digital age is transforming the nature and practice of interpretation raising questions that range from the status of digital objects to the challenges of ethical practice.

Informed by the attitude of the alchemist as a proto-scientist, bridging disciplinary boundaries as well as the mystical and the …

Embedding Belonging: Community-Based Good Practices Supporting The Integration Of Migrant Children And Young People In Ireland, Shirley Martin Dr, Jacqui O'Riordan Dr, Naomi Masheti Dr

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

Ireland has experienced significant demographic change over recent decades, creating new opportunities and challenges for the socio-educational integration of migrant and refugee children. While research has identified a range of factors associated with successful integration outcomes, less attention has been paid to the processes through which integration and belonging are fostered within community and educational settings. Drawing on data from the Horizon 2020 IMMERSE (Integration Mapping of Refugee and Migrant Children in Educational and Other Experiential Environments in Europe) project, this paper examines nine Irish initiatives identified as examples of good practice in supporting migrant and refugee children and their …

Genwriter 2.0: A Hybrid Case-Based And Llm Rewriting Approach For Mitigating Implicit Gender Cues In Text, Shweta Soundararajan, Sarah Jane Delany

Conference papers

Gendered language is the use of words or phrases that indicate an individual's gender. Although useful in some contexts, gendered language can reinforce gender stereotypes and introduce bias, particularly in machine learning models for tasks involving people such as recruitment or occupation classification. When textual content about individuals, such as biographies, contain gender cues, models can learn spurious associations between gender and other characteristics of individuals, such as profession, potentially resulting in unfair outcomes such as reduced hiring opportunities for women.

To address this challenge, we propose GenWriter 2.0, a hybrid approach that integrates Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) with Large …

The Impact Of One-To-One Peer Support On Mothers’ Personal Breastfeeding Goals And Emotional Well-Being: A Scoping Review, Khayla Timothy, Elizabeth J. O’Sullivan, Áine O’Connor

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Objective: To examine the impact of one-to-one peer support on mothers’ personal breastfeeding goals. Design: Scoping review guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s five-stage framework and reported in accordance with PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. Qualitative data were analysed using descriptive content analysis. Quantitative data were analysed by identifying numerical trends and recurring patterns, and a concise overview of key descriptive findings was provided using frequency counts and proportions. Setting: Studies conducted across ten countries globally, identified through systematic searches of seven electronic databases and screening of reference lists. Participants: Thirty-eight studies were included: twenty quantitative, seven qualitative, six mixed …

Human-Centred Generative Ai In Postgraduate Education Why Mediation, Calibration, And Contextual Flexibility Matter, Gabriela Zapata

Journal of Academic Research and Innovation

No abstract provided.

E3) Pop As Sacred Space: Rosalía’S Lux And The Reconfiguration Of Contemporary Spiritual Tourism, Dolors Vidal-Casellas, Adriana Figuerola Cortez

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper analyzes Rosalía’s Lux album as a cultural device that reconfigures the relationships between spirituality, aesthetic experience, and contemporary mobility. Situated within a hybrid lineage of orchestral pop, sacred music, and avant-pop, the album constructs a sonic universe that transcends traditional musical consumption to offer a ritual-like experience. From the perspective of spiritual and cultural tourism, Lux is interpreted as a “symbolic pilgrimage space” where the listener engages in a sensory and affective journey. Its multi-movement structure, linguistic plurality, and references to mystical traditions and female figures from religious heritage shape a narrative of inner displacement that replaces physical …

Contextualized Classroom Management For Local Philippine Higher Education: A Faculty-Driven Framework, Jestoni Pueblos Babia

Irish Journal of Academic Practice

Higher education classroom management is now recognized as an essential policy and pedagogical issue, especially in the Philippines, where local universities serve the diverse needs of Generation Z students. Participatory Action Research with 50 faculty members from a local university supports this study in developing a faculty-driven classroom management framework. Guided by Bandura's social learning theory, this framework emphasizes student involvement, restorative discipline, inclusion, digital integration, teacher leadership and institutional support. It draws on learning theory, Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory, and Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, among others. Results indicate that systems combining faculty creativity with consistent …

From Unfinished Sentences To Unfinished Degrees: A Reflection On Students’ Struggles With Academic Writing In The Context Of Retention In Higher Institutes Of Education, Irina Ruppo

Irish Journal of Academic Practice

This article explores the experiences and beliefs of students whose struggles with academic writing had led to contemplation of withdrawal from the university. It proposes that the absence of writing as a separate factor in existing retention models obscures the importance of writing issues to students’ persistence with their chosen course of study. Through a qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with undergraduate students, the article suggests that students’ struggles with writing may be distinct from their overall difficulties with the workload. Four beliefs about academic writing are identified as potentially contributing to the students’ malintegrative experience within the institution. Seeing …

Food, Crisis And Hope: Three Conflicts, Three Approaches, Johanna Mendelson Forman, Michael Shaikh, Joan Nathan, Yeheniia Yemshenetska, Andrea Borghini

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

Plenary Session: Food, Crisis and Hope: Three Conflicts, Three Approaches

Panel hosted by Johanna Mendelson Forman

Michael Shaikh - "Saving Cuisine Is the Same As Saving a People"

Joan Nathan - "The Edible DNA: Jewish Food as a Bond through Crisis and War"

Johanna Mendelson Forman and Yevheniia Yemshenetska - "Hope and Crisis in War: Ukraine’s Deployment of Food as Soft Power during Conflict"

Andrea Borghini - "Food in Times of Crisis: A Leadership Perspective"

Migration And Settlement: Nation, Diaspora, And Culinary Geographies In Izmir’S Culinary Culture, Betül Öztürk

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

The study explores the historical formation of Izmir as a port city shaped by waves of migration, examining how these dynamics contributed to the emergence of a hybrid culinary culture. The present study draws on historical sources and literature on migration to trace Izmir’s transformation from a small Ottoman settlement to a cosmopolitan Mediterranean city. The study highlights the role of diasporic communities including Rums, Sephardic Jews, Armenians, Levantines and later internal migrants in shaping daily life. The manner in which cohabitation patterns, neighbourhood-based settlements, and shared economic spaces have served to facilitate continuous cultural interaction among ethnic minorities is …

Bonding Through Boucherie: Strengthening Social Ties Through Butchery, Evelyn Lambeth

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

“La boucherie de quartier” is a Cajun phrase referring to a neighbourhood pig slaughter. One such annual event, the Lâche Pas Boucherie in southern Louisiana, brings multiple generations and many traditions together with the goal of sharing and celebrating music, food and culture. Boudin, crackling, andouille sausage, and hogshead cheese are but a few of the unique offerings from this melting pot of shared flavours. I was born and raised in southern Louisiana but rarely appreciated the novelty of Cajun cuisine until I moved to Australia. The flavours and spices of my former home add a certain piquancy that is …

Toddy, Tea, And Tapioca: Food, Famine, And The Moral Reordering Of Public Space In Malabar (Kerala), 1900- 1965, Mallory Rose Cerkleski

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

This paper examines how public food and drink spaces in early twentieth-century Malabar functioned as critical infrastructures of everyday subsistence as well as sociability. It argues that toddy shops, beyond sites of intoxication, might have provided low-cost nutrition, informal credit, and cross-caste interaction for segments of the labouring poor. Colonial excise policies and temperance movements progressively narrowed these spaces, contributing to the rise of tea shops aligned with reformist ideals of respectable public consumption. While tea shops fostered political discussion and vernacular modernity, they could have been less reliable as nutritional buffers, especially during the food crises of the 1940s. …

Unspeakable Sacred Things Made Of Dough: Vermicelli And Pre-Christian Serpentine Symbolism In Southern Italian Ritual Foods, Anthony F. Buccini

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

It is commonplace to debunk the tale of Saint Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland: zoologists say he could not have done so, as there were no snakes in Ireland during his time. This tale is, however, a myth, and quite true if one views it symbolically. The snakes symbolise pagan beliefs and Patrick symbolises Catholic teachings, which, starting in the fifth century A.D. with Patrick as a key missionary, did indeed drive out the “pagan snakes” from Ireland. The Jewish story of the wily serpent deceiving Eve and Adam and bringing about their banishment from paradise was taken …

Tables Of Power: Ritualised Feasting And Political Negotiation In Irish History, Elizabeth Waters, Elaine Mahon

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

This paper examines feasting in two specific contexts: the sagas of the early Irish medieval period, and the diplomatic history of the Irish state. Far from being decorative or incidental, feasting is shown to be a system of commensal politics that converts uncertainty into opportunity as well as symbolic capital. In the examples explored, the shared meal is shown to be not just a convivial gathering but a means through which authority is demonstrated, crises negotiated or averted, and relationships renewed.

Where Art Meets The Table: Food, Art, And Culture At The Intersection Of Crisis And Hope, Ciza Zoya

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

Food is more than sustenance; it is a carrier of memory, identity, and power, shaping both belonging and exclusion. In contemporary art, food has emerged as a critical medium through which these tensions can be explored. This paper argues that food- based art operates at the intersection of crisis and hope, revealing how everyday practices of cooking, sharing, and eating both reflect social hierarchies and create possibilities for connection. Drawing on anthropological perspectives, contemporary art theory, and the author’s own artistic practice, the paper examines how food functions as a social structure shaped by gender, class, caste, and colonial histories. …

Food In Dinneen’S Foclóir Gaedhilge Agus Béarla, John D. Mulcahy

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

Inspired by the work of the late Manchán Magan, this paper examines Irish food and hospitality through the lens of historical lexicography using the 1927 edition of Fr Patrick Dinneen’s Foclóir Gaedhilge agus Béarla as a linguistic “time capsule”. By examining Irish words connected with everyday eating, the paper traces how these words embody resilience, reciprocity, and hope in the face of recurring crises such as famine, emigration, and political upheaval. The paper also draws attention to roles associated with food provision and banqueting, underlining the long-standing importance of hospitality in Irish society. This approach uncovers how hospitality was understood …

Dgs Programme 2026, Dgs Committee

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

This is the full and final Programme for the DGS 2026 - Food and Crisis/Hope, as well as the Map of Producers who furnished the delicious food and drink we serve at lunch over the two days of the event.

Adapting And Promoting Tourism For Children In Venice And The Lagoon Islands: A Comparative Analysis Of Food-Related Discourse Strategies In English And In Italian, Daniela Cesiri Prof.

International Journal of Islands Research

According to the latest available version of the Annual Tourism Survey drafted by the City of Venice, in 2023, 12,628,079 tourists visited Venice and the Lagoon Islands (Bettiol & Marini, 2025). This survey does not provide data on the age groups of these visitors, but they are available in the previous version of the same Survey (Bianchetto & Marini, 2022), which reports that 29% of tourists were in the 46-71 age group. Therefore, we can presume that, excluding the older age groups, quite a large proportion of visitors is likely composed of young tourists and families with children. This study …

A Researcher’S Reflections On Using Participant-Led Photo Elicitation: A Work In Progress., Aoife Ryan, Frank Houghton, Jennifer Moran Stritch

Journal of Academic Research and Innovation

This paper outlines a researcher’s reflections on using a participant-led photo elicitation methodology in counselling/psychotherapy research, in an Irish context. The method used in this research is outlined and explored and strengths and limitations are discussed.

The Middle-Class Rip-Off'? Subsiding Culture In Contemporary Ireland, Connell Vaughan Dr

Irish Communication Review

In the last few years (roughly since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic) there has been a noted increase in state-led cultural funding in Ireland. Key examples include the raise in the financial allocation to the Arts Council, the introduction of the Basic Income for the Arts scheme, and increased sports capital funding. With reference to the official communication documents of these cases (so-called ‘grey literature’) and deploying the classic 1982 episode of the British sitcom Yes, Minister, ‘The Middle-Class Rip-Off,’ which pitches sports funding against support for the arts, as a satirical lens, this paper reflects on the contemporary …

Active Listening And Reassurance In Text-Based Virtual Health Coaches, Ghulam Hussain

Dissertations

Conversational agents (CAs) have strong potential to support health and physical wellbeing through text-based coaching, but they remain limited in their ability to demonstrate supportive social behaviours that are important in human coaching interactions. In particular, relatively little is known about how Active Listening and Reassurance are perceived, modelled, and evaluated in text-based virtual healthcare coaching, or how such behaviours should be adapted to individual users.

This dissertation investigates how supportive interaction behaviours can enhance text based virtual health coaching, with an initial focus on Active Listening and Reassurance and a later theoretical emphasis on Active Listening. Across five unique …

Connectivity And Tourism Flow In Small Island Developing States, Edmir Luciano Dos Santos Ferreira, João Paulo Madeira

International Journal of Islands Research

Tourism in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) faces unique sustainability challenges, with connectivity emerging as a critical factor. These nations, often situated in remote locations, encounter significant accessibility constraints and limited infrastructure, which restrict tourist flows and adversely affect economic development. The primary aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship between connectivity and tourism flows in SIDS, exploring how connectivity, proxied by geographical and cultural-political distance, influences tourism in these regions. Furthermore, the study seeks to determine whether belonging to different SIDS regions or exhibiting varying levels of development helps destinations attract greater tourist flows, by examining several …

Virtual Humans In Virtual Reality: A Scoping Review On Sociability, Fidelity, And Expression, J. K. Sangeeth Chandran, Marisa Llorens Salvador, Cathy Ennis

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Introduction – Virtual reality (VR) systems have evolved significantly over the past decade, enabling immersive experiences with enhanced realism and interactivity. This has motivated an interest in socially oriented applications. As user proxies, Virtual Humans (VHs) play essential roles in such applications. However, despite technological advancements, achieving realistic, expressive, and socially responsive VHs continues to present design and implementation challenges. In this scoping review, we present the state-of-the-art of VR VHs, examining the impact of VHs on the user experience. Methodology – We reviewed 59 papers retrieved from five databases across three core themes: the implementation and impact of VH …

Virtual Humans In Virtual Reality: A Scoping Review On Sociability, Fidelity, And Expression, J K Sangeeth Chandran, Marisa Llorens Salvador, Cathy Ennis

Articles

Introduction:

Virtual reality (VR) systems have evolved significantly over the past decade, enabling immersive experiences with enhanced realism and interactivity. This has motivated an interest in socially oriented applications. As user proxies, Virtual Humans (VHs) play essential roles in such applications. However, despite technological advancements, achieving realistic, expressive, and socially responsive VHs continues to present design and implementation challenges. In this scoping review, we present the state-of-the-art of VR VHs, examining the impact of VHs on the user experience.

Methodology:

We reviewed 59 papers retrieved from five databases across three core themes: the implementation and impact of VH facial expressions, …

A Spiritual Passage From Santiago To Sligo: Celtic Pilgrimage From St. John’S Eve To Queen Maeve’S Procession, Nichole Lariscy Ph.D.

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper explores the spiritual dimensions of Celtic pilgrimage through a comparative analysis of two journeys: the Celtic Camino, primarily known as the English Way to Santiago, in Galicia, Spain, and the pilgrimage to Queen Maeve’s Cairn in Sligo, Ireland. It examines how invented traditions and mythological narratives contribute to a sense of ancestral connection and spiritual homecoming. The study employs autoethnographic narrative and theoretical frameworks including Simon Coleman’s concept of laterality and Jenny Butler’s observations on neo-pagan re-sacralisation of the landscape. Field observations, personal reflections, and literature review inform the analysis. The paper identifies ritual, festival, and storytelling as …

Mundane Or Mystical: Journeying From An Islamic Perspective, Abu Bakr Sirajuddin Cook

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Within Islam generally, and Sufism in particular, journeying (safar) takes on a great importance. From the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) to the vertical night journey (almiraj), the well-trodden path (shari’ah) to the narrow path (tariqa), there are many kinds of journeying, all of which are ultimately understood as being in the path of Allah (fi sabillillah). Common to all types of journeying is an engagement with Allah’s signs (ayat) ‘on the horizons and within themselves’ so that, correctly understood, this will support the realisation of Truth (Qur’an 41: 53). For …

The Migrant As A Pilgrim: Decolonising Identity And Belonging, Susan Nemec

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper responds to pilgrimage scholar George Greenia’s assertion that meaningful intersections exist between pilgrimage and various forms of displacement, such as migration or involuntary exile due to famine, war, or political unrest. Greenia proposes that vulnerable, displaced individuals might find shelter, both conceptually and emotionally, within the framing of pilgrimage. By extending concepts of pilgrimage, it can be understood as a deliberate and intentional journey, simultaneously emphasising the transformative potential inherent in migratory movement. By adopting a working definition of pilgrimage as ‘any form of travel that is intentional, purposeful, or transformative,’ the paper considers how migrancy, particularly within …