New visitor experience at Belfast Cathedral

The Dean of Belfast, the Very Rev John Mann, gives Prunella the Pink Pixie, a performer with Belfast Community Circus School in Belfasts Cathedral Quarter, a guide to St Annes Cathedral when Prunella visited to sample the Cathedrals new visitor.

In the heart of Belfast’s buzzing Cathedral Quarter, St Anne’s recently launched a new and enhanced visitor experience. To help guide you around this stunning building, sharing with you the history which lies within, the Cathedral has invested in a high quality audio tour and guide booklet.

A bright new welcome desk will be your first stopping point inside St Anne’s and the Cathedral shop has been expanded to entice people to step in and browse.

Entry to the Cathedral is £2, an audio tour is an additional £4 and the high quality booklet which can accompany the tour or can be used independently costs £2.

St Anne’s is open to the public Monday to Saturday from 9am-5.15pm (last audio tour at 4.45pm), and from 1pm-3pm on Sundays. It is closed to visitors during services.

The new audio guide has a beautiful musical underlay and an audio tour lasts approximately 40 minutes. The tour is conducted by a variety of commentators. Highlights include the tomb of Lord Carson – the only person buried in the Cathedral – where the audio includes extracts from the original funeral service in 1935, and personal reflections by Sir Donald Murray, who was a choirboy in St Anne’s on the day of the service.

In the Military Chapel, Colonel David Twigg, one of the founding committee of the Royal Irish Regiment which established the chapel, tells the fascinating story of a unique handmade Prayer Book. Master of the Choristers David Stevens talks about the choirs and the organ, and the audio relates the story of the stunning handcrafted Titanic pall.

The Dean of Belfast, the Very Rev John Mann said: “Our new audio guide is a wonderful introduction to one of our iconic buildings and its beautiful artwork and interesting place in our history.”

Comments in the visitors’ book already stand testament to this. A couple from Phoenix, Arizona, wrote: “The warm reception and gracious hospitality we received at beautiful Belfast Cathedral was one of the highlights of our visit from America. “

Another visitor wrote: “The Datatron [audio tour] is a brilliant idea. You get to know everything about your beautiful Cathedral. Well done!”

As St Anne’s is the Cathedral for the City of Belfast, the Chapel of the Holy Spirit is free to visit for quiet prayer at any time.

Dean Mann said: “The Cathedral is deeply aware that its main purpose is as a sacred space and a place of worship, and when its daily services happen, tourists will be excluded, or must sit quietly while the worship is taking place. There is no charge at these times.”

Gerry Lennon, Chief Executive of Visit Belfast, said: “St Anne’s Cathedral is one of the City’s iconic buildings and is a popular attraction for visitors from near and far – the introduction of the audio tour will further enhance the visitor experience and add to the warm welcome already offered.”

Running costs at Belfast Cathedral amount to £1,200-£1,300 per day, not including capital building costs. It is hoped the changes will boost the Cathedral’s income, allowing it to continue to be a vibrant part of the Belfast community and a place of sanctuary, prayer and worship for many years to come.

Visit www.belfastcathedral.org for more information about St Anne’s Cathedral.

For further information contact Karen Bushby, Press Officer, St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, on 07766 103880 or email [email protected]