A city that wants to be a town? Well, only if the designation in question is Telecom Eireann's Information Age Town, bringing with it the chance to transform a community and seize the 21st century with both hands. Kilkenny City badly wants that opportunity.

Here is a city proud of its past. It competition submission details the "Ages of History in Kilkenny", from its fame as a centre of monastic learning under St Canice before 600 A.D., through the Norman invasion and the Dukes of Ormonde, and its stint as capital of Ireland in the 17th century.

Now it wants a crack at the future.

"There's been huge community support for this, more than anyone imagined," says Mr Brian Kelly, one of those behind the bid. "So many people helped create our document - we had more than a thousand submissions from companies, community groups, sporting organisations, clubs, individuals. It really took us by surprise."

He stressed that Kilkenny considered getting consultants to write its report to Telecom Eireann, but decided against such a move.

"It would have been easier - get them in and pay the money - but we felt it was a community project, and it should be a community effort. We think we did it the proper way," Mr Kelly adds.

In the process, the city learnt a little about itself, and its wider than expected use of technology. The chess club, for example, has been on the World Wide Web for some time, playing games with competitors across the other side of the globe.

"And it turns out the rugby club has been at the same thing - we couldn't believe it! The players are in contact, through the Internet, with clubs all over the world," says Mr Kelly.

The idea has also caught the imagination of the local newspapers and radio station, he says, and there has been non-stop discussion in the city about what it would mean if Kilkenny won through.

In its submission, the city outlined some of these. The information age will enhance community cohesion and reduce isolation, give access for disadvantaged and disabled and allow more fruitful use of human resources.

"The information age enriches the educational experience at all levels, enables the delivery of open/distance learning and interactive training methods, particularly in languages, assists the educationally disadvantaged, enhances teamwork and problem-solving skills, supports Kilkenny's case for a virtual third-level campus, provides unlimited opportunities for reinforcement, and is great fun," the authors say.

Running alongside this formal assessment, however, are the words of some denizens of Kilkenny.

"As a wheelchair user, I would have to say that if Telecom did provide this service, it would provide me with the lifeline that is so desperately needed to compete for employment," says Ms Ann-Marie Manogue.

The Barnstorm theatre group adds: "The ability to communicate with other theatre companies in different countries will offer great scope for discussion, and the opportunity to share and develop ideas."

Ms Margaret Bourke, a librarian, says: "A library invested with information technology will energise the learning of our children, uplift the minds of young people and empower a generation."

For one pupil, however, the benefits are more tangible.

"It will minimise the weight of copybooks on our backs when we are travelling to and from school," says Owen Ardill of Gael Scoil Osrai.

The business community is also hoping to see Kilkenny transformed by technology. It would create a base for employment expansion, open up new markets across the world, develop the business information base, enhance business cohesion, provide communication comfort for multinationals considering locating in the city, allow interactive training methods and put sophisticated tools, including electronic commerce, at the command of even the smallest enterprise.

"For the public service, the information age improves access and response times, simplifies and expedites the transmission and completion of official documentation and application forms, encourages openness and transparency in access to public information, enhances co-ordination and information exchange between local agencies, and allows wide dispersal of environmental, geographical and engineering databases to local information points," according to the submission document.

Again, the quotes from local people go from the general to the specific.

Touchscreen Technology, for example, says that there are people they would love to hire, with skills the company requires, but who are unable to commute to work a nine-to-five shift. If every house were wired, things would be different.

"The greater use of fax machines, together with caller identification, would also virtually eliminate hoax calls," says Mr Jim Kelsey, outlining a direct benefit for his take-away restaurant business.

Mr Kevin Hughes, of Wallslough studios, envisages "technology that allows a feature film to be shot anywhere in the world, downloaded to Kilkenny, and edited here".

"Being a dairy farmer on the outskirts of Kilkenny, I am a regular user of IT, and use the `Net' regularly to obtain information on farming from world-wide sources," says Mr John Donegan.

"It would enable improved networking and allow access to shared resources for the business within the centre," says Ms Mary Doyle, secretary at the Abbey Business Centre.

But perhaps the city's gleeful anticipation of the future is best summed up by Mr Cathal Cullen, the vice-principal of Presentation Secondary School. "We would no longer feel that we have to sidle, self-consciously, past computers, fearing that we might inadvertently disturb them in some way."