Long Tower's new audio tour 'feast for the senses'

Long before inclusivity entered popular culture, the illuminated manuscripts of Columban tradition fused art and word into a medium that spoke to all.

With the release of its new multi-lingual audio guide, St Columba’s Long Tower is bringing this tradition to a new generation of visitors, from near and far.

Bishop Dónal McKeown narrates the fascinating history of this most beloved church and the holy ground in which its foundations took root.

His splendidly detailed commentary brings the rich treasury of the church interior to life – from the nativity scenes either side of the altar to the gem within a gem, the gated baptistry.

Bishop McKeown’s turn-by-turn directions invite you to linger over curiosities and architectural features – including the venerated ‘kneeling stone’ of prehistory and the dark red Corinthian pillars gifted to the church by the colourful Protestant Earl Bishop of Derry Frederick Hervey.

The splendour of Venetian mosaic, the attendant angels enroute the Flight into Egypt and the Carrara marble of the communion rail stand in stark relief to the gnarled hawthorn where the faithful gathered in “every lull” of the persecution in Penal times.

The self-guided tour lets you pause, pick up and drift off the route when it suits you. And at just £2 per use, the audio guide is incredible value for money.

But for all its fine detail, this yarn is pacy and engrossing from start to finish. Twenty minutes in duration, it never drops the narrative ball. And leaves the listener with a great deal to mull over.

Above all, the layered history of this site’s, in some respects unknowable heart, is evocatively conveyed. For this city’s story is a story of sharing and spreading, conflict and peace, material poverty and spiritual riches spanning 15 centuries.

And with a humble Mp3 player you can hold this history in your hand.

The self-guided audio tour of St Columba’s Long Tower is available in Irish, English and Italian.

You can collect your Mp3 player from the Áras Cholmcille and enjoy the tour outside of Mass times, wedding services and other ceremonies.

The audio tour experience is priced at £2 per person.