The Irish Heritage Council offers protected status, tax support and other financial benefits to places of historical significance that are open to the public, such as museums. So, Heineken turned historic Irish pubs into virtual museums which people could visit. This mobile AR experience came with an audio guide just like one you would find for any museum or exhibition. The audio guide dived deep into the stories behind the curated pieces people could experience in the different Pub Museums across Ireland. Delivering an immersive experience while enjoying a beer.

The Irish pub is a cultural institution, famous the world over. These historical buildings have been serving their communities for centuries. Sadly now, some of the oldest pubs in the world found in Ireland are closing. Running costs, higher taxes and inflation mean that a quarter of Irish pubs have shut, an average of 150 each year.

Heineken's brand mission is to help people enjoy a richer social life. The closure of many historical Irish pubs in Ireland represented a barrier to people enjoying social life in these rich and historical places.

At the same time, The Irish Heritage Council offers protected status, tax support and other financial benefits to places of historical significance that are open to the public, such as museums. So, Heineken turned historic Irish pubs into virtual museums, enabling their rich past to protect their future.

The audio guide that accompanies the virtual AR experience inside each Pub Museum is activated by a QR code at the pub’s entrance. The audio guide then shows you around the pub and directs you to different pieces that you can activate with your phone to enjoy the AR experience. While viewing each historic item the audio guide gives people the story behind the item through the authentic and engaging delivery of the speaker. Taking you on an audio journey through history.

Welcome to Sean’s Bar, the oldest pub in Ireland, Europe, and perhaps even the world. Join the innumerable number of visitors who have been stopping here for a drink and a chat for more than a thousand years.

Martin Scorsese fans will recognize this image immediately. It was originally featured as a photograph in an article about the River Shannon in the November 1978 edition of National Geographic. It shows John Weaving, who had become a local legend by then, having quit his career in banking to protect the Shannon with his two dogs, Rocky and Twiggy. And that’s how he was captured, only to achieve his second chance at international fame when Mrs. Pileggi, the mother of Nicholas Pileggi, a crime reporter and author of Wiseguy, the nonfiction book Goodfellas is adapted from, decided to paint a replica of the picture. John Weaving was also a regular at Sean’s when the pub was owned by Sean Fitzsimons, who purchased it in 1968.

The oldest pubs in the world are closing. Running costs, higher taxes and inflation mean that a quarter of pubs in Ireland have shut, an average of 150 each year.

Heineken's brand mission is to help people enjoy a richer social life. The closure of many historical Irish pubs in Ireland represented a barrier to people enjoying social life in these rich and historical places. So the brand aimed to safeguard these famous cultural institutions for the future.

Pub Museums gave pubs a tangible way to protect themselves from closure in challenging economic times. Including:

20% tax cut on building maintenance.

Economic evaluation of their cultural heritage collection

Protection from being bought out

Added to tourism guides

The launch of the museums also led to

134h+

OF AUDIO GUIDES HEARD

200k+

IN FUNDING

PENDING

+30%

FOOTFALL

IN PUBS

Irish pubs have also made a submission to the Irish Department of Culture to be protected by UNESCO.

The Irish pub is a cultural institution, famous the world over. These historical buildings have been serving their communities for centuries.

The Irish Heritage Council offers protected status, tax support and other financial benefits to places of historical significance that are open to the public, such as museums. So, Heineken turned historic Irish pubs into virtual museums, enabling their rich past to protect their future.

Pub Museums tackled a problem facing one of Ireland's national icons. Each virtual museum experience was carefully curated to reflect the pub's local history and crafted to provide authenticity in the audio guides and AR experience.