Down in Killarney, they are wondering what the fourth Viscount of Kenmare would have to say for himself if he came back from the 18th century. He it was who planned the town, opened its linen mills, and then, exactly 250 years ago, saw the potential it had for attracting tourists. He started inviting other aristocrats to come and see the beautiful lakes, and before long all sorts of people were flocking to Killarney. The first tourist guide books for the town were on sale by the 1760s. Today, visitors to Killarney represent its biggest source of wealth, and bring in some £180 million in accommodation receipts alone.

"But here's the thing," says Frank Lewis, one of those behind Killarney's bid to become the Information Age Town. "We know that within three to five years, one third of all beds will be booked on the Internet. So that's £60 million of business.

"We just have to get a move on," he adds.

And that, according to Mr Lewis, is just what more than 4,000 local people have done.

"There's a huge buzz around it. We didn't use consultants for the submission, we went out and sought people's opinions. And from businesses, public bodies, the schools, the public at large, there is tremendous enthusiasm," he adds.

"We drew expertise from Killarney people all over, from San Francisco, from Monaco, from Dublin. We have the urban council, the chamber of commerce, Killarney of the Welcomes, Forbairt," he says. "We set up sectoral groups, Radio Kerry, which has studios in Killarney, devotes every week to the project, the local papers have new stories every time; everyone is really into this."

The project committee called itself KATE - for Killarney And Telecom Eireann - and its logo now adorns 20,000 stickers. Visitors to the town by road cannot but be aware that the project is in full swing.

"We have two large road signs up," says Mr Lewis. "At first they just said `Killarney And Telecom Eireann - The Dream Team'. Now they have a red slash across them that says we're a finalist."

KATE roped in more and more citizens, using a series of fact sheets.

"Do you understand how your car engine works? Does that stop you driving the car?" asks one of the first of these documents, designed to dispel fear of technology. "But just like each of us had to learn how to drive, we also have to learn how to use a computer."

KATE went to FAS, the VEC, CERT, and private companies, and set up a training centre in the former Pretty Polly plant. It now offers training for families and employees. Then it opened an office in the centre of town.

"The lives of every one of us will be affected by the information age - from the young child just born to the oldest member of the community, whether working or not," another pamphlet argued.

Those who dropped by the new office could have their queries about technology answered, see a demonstration of how the Internet could help everyone in every home, and could have a lash at surfing the `Net' themselves.

Another document focused on bookkeeping accounts. "For every self-employed person, and for many working for others as well, keeping accounts is a difficult and demanding part of the business. Using a computer and keeping in regular contact with your accounts professional can make account keeping much easier and more efficient."

Again, free demonstrations were available for all. When it came to the benefits for tourism and employment, the advantages really sparked imaginations.

"With up to a million visitors a year staying and another million day visitors, Killarney has very good reason for wanting to talk to the world," the next pamphlet said.

"At present, the kind of tourism Killarney gets is largely decided by outside sources. Through the Internet it is possible for Killarney to target very specifically the kind of visitor it wants to attract and to have complete control over that," it continued.

"Can anyone with a B & B, guesthouse, self catering, camping, caravaning, hostel or hotel ignore this? Every single accommodation provider in Killarney can hugely increase their business if they use email and the Internet properly. And businesses that don't do this will very soon begin to lose market share."

In the end of the day, says Frank Lewis, the information age will be about better communication.

Every young person at school will have their own computer, all text books and education materials could be constantly updated online, and all written work could be done on computer, he says. The pupil would work at his or her optimum pace in a paperless classroom.

People with special needs, the disabled for example, would have a personal computer that would help compensate for their disadvantage.

"Each community, each estate, each area in Killarney, can use the Internet to communicate with its own people and the rest of the town," the committee suggests. "Young people can talk about problems and potentials, as they see them. "We can find out about Killarney's history and heritage, what flowers are in bloom at the moment, unusual birds, what is to be seen in the skies.

"This will enrich the whole community," says Mr Lewis. "It will help the unemployed. The local authority will be online and you'll be able to get anything you want on that site, everything from a planning application to heifer grants."

In preparing the bid, he adds, and in the non-stop discussion since of what it will all mean, most people have come to the conclusion that Killarney must embrace the information age one way or the other.

"We reckon now that win, lose or draw, we have got to get going. I suppose there was always a latent realisation that we had no choice about it," he adds.

"So yes, we're going to do it all anyway, but of course we'll do it a lot more effectively, more quickly, and better, with the help of Telecom Eireann."

Concluding article, on Ennis, will appear next Monday.