Imagineear, an audioguide and multimedia content specialist offering a full range of advisory and interpretation services, has been working with St Canice's Cathedral & Round Tower in Ireland since 2023, developing multilingual audio tours in English, French, Italian, Spanish and German.
Located on Ireland’s popular ‘Ancient East’ route, St Canice is considered the best-preserved medieval cathedral in the country and features its oldest surviving round tower.
Tours can be accessed on handheld devices or via a smartphone app by scanning a QR code. They uncover some of the cathedral’s architectural secrets and introduce visitors to historical figures like Alice Kyteler, who was accused of witchcraft in the 1400s, and the anchorites—hermits who lived in small prayer cells near the altar.
Inclusive storytelling
In 2025, the cathedral secured funding from the Heritage Council of Ireland to enhance accessibility and enable more visitors to experience the site fully. With its dedication to inclusive storytelling, Imagineear was ideally placed to help.
The team revisited the location to evaluate the route's physical layout, pinpoint potential issues visitors might face, and explore the best ways to engage diverse audiences with the cathedral’s compelling history.
In partnership with the cathedral and the local community, Imagineear created and produced an audio description (AD) tour to enhance accessibility for visitors who are blind or visually impaired. This tour is accessible via the firm's Piccolo device, which features an accessible tactile numeric keypad.
For visitors who are deaf or have hearing impairments, it provided Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpretation, viewable on its Mirage devices.
Now, even more visitors can enjoy the site.
Anne Marie Hallinan, general manager, says: “Imagineer demonstrated creativity, technical expertise and a genuine understanding of how to bring our stories to life through engaging and high-quality audio content. The original guides were intuitive, immersive and extremely well received by our visitors.
"In our most recent collaboration, Imagineer supported us in expanding the project to include Audio Description and Irish Sign Language (ISL), ensuring that our interpretation is accessible to a wider and more diverse audience.
"Throughout this process, their team was thoughtful, solutions-focused and deeply committed to inclusivity. They guided us carefully through each stage, offering clear advice, flexibility and technical assurance.
Their professionalism, responsiveness and collaborative approach made the entire process seamless. We are proud of what has been achieved together and look forward to continuing our work with Imagineer in the future”
Imagineear also recently created two self-guided audio tours for the UK's Bodmin Jail, bringing its chilling history to life while turning visitors' phones into responsive digital guides.
