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(Audio Description Professional, Visual Describer, Video Describer, Audio Description Expert)
Creative & Media
Salary
€26,000 - €55,000/yr
Level
Professional
Outlook
Stable
Sector
Creative & Media
Audio describers create and narrate detailed verbal descriptions of visual content — including on-screen action, facial expressions, scene changes, and on-stage movement — so that blind and visually impaired audiences can fully experience films, television programmes, theatre productions, and live events. You write concise, well-timed description scripts that fit naturally between dialogue and sound effects without obscuring key audio. In a studio or broadcast environment, you record your narration over the original soundtrack, carefully synchronising your voice with the pacing of the content. You may also work live at theatre performances, sports events, or cultural events, delivering real-time descriptions through a headset system to audience members. Colleagues you work alongside regularly include directors, sound engineers, accessibility coordinators, and theatre or broadcast production teams.
Listen: a day as an Audio Describer
You arrive at a small post-production studio in Dublin at 8:30 a.m., make a coffee, and open your script files. Today you are finishing the audio description track for a six-part Irish drama series commissioned by a streaming platform. You pull up the locked edit — a final video file where no more picture changes will be made — on your editing workstation and review the notes your producer left overnight about timing adjustments in episode four. By 9:00 a.m. you are back at your desk writing description lines. Your job is to fit clear, neutral language into the gaps between dialogue and significant sound effects. You type something like 'Máire stares at the letter, jaw tightening' and then check it against the waveform in your audio editing software to see whether it actually fits without clashing with the next line of speech. It often does not, so you cut words until it does.
There is no single prescribed qualification route to becoming an audio describer in Ireland, but a Level 7 or Level 8 degree in Media Studies, Broadcasting, Linguistics, Drama, or a related creative discipline provides a strong foundation. Institutions such as TU Dublin, DCU, University of Galway, and IADT offer relevant undergraduate programmes accessible through the CAO. English, Irish, and Drama at Leaving Certificate Higher level are particularly useful for developing the language precision and vocal awareness this work demands. QQI Level 5 or Level 6 PLC courses in Media Production or Performing Arts, available at Colleges of Further Education across the country, can also open entry-level routes into the field. Specialist training in audio description technique is typically gained through short professional development courses offered by organisations such as the NCBI (National Council for the Blind of Ireland) or international bodies such as the Audio Description Association. No statutory professional registration body currently governs audio describers in Ireland, though membership of relevant accessibility or broadcasting professional networks is valued.
Many audio describers begin their careers by volunteering or interning with accessibility organisations such as the NCBI, or by working in adjacent roles such as voiceover artist, broadcast journalist, or theatre stage manager where relevant skills are developed. With experience, you may take on more complex or high-profile commissions — such as describing for RTÉ television output, feature films, or large-scale theatre productions at the Abbey Theatre or Gate Theatre. Some practitioners move into training roles, delivering audio description workshops for broadcasters, theatres, or advocacy bodies, or into broader accessibility consultancy work. Senior practitioners often operate on a freelance basis, building a portfolio of clients across broadcasting, live performance, and cultural institutions.
AI-generated audio description tools are emerging and are already being trialled by some international broadcasters and streaming platforms, which could reduce demand for routine, lower-complexity description work in the medium term. However, AI systems currently struggle with the nuanced judgement required to select the most meaningful visual details, maintain appropriate tone, and handle live or culturally specific content sensitively. Human audio describers are likely to remain essential for live performance, high-profile productions, and quality assurance roles — reviewing, editing, and improving AI-generated scripts rather than being replaced outright. Adapting to these tools and developing skills in AI-assisted workflow will become increasingly important for practitioners in this field.
→ Audio Describer (Current role)
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Organisations in Ireland that employ people in this occupation.
Donnybrook, Dublin 4
Produces and broadcasts audio description for Irish television content
Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
Commissions audio description for broadcast programmes on Irish channels
Dublin 1
Provides audio description for live stage productions and performances
Dublin 1
Offers audio-described performances for visually impaired theatre audiences
Nationwide
Supports and facilitates audio description access services for blind audiences
Temple Bar, Dublin 2
Screens audio-described films and commissions description for archive content
Dublin
Specialist post-production house creating audio description for Irish broadcasters
Baile na hAbhann, Co. Galway
Broadcasts Irish-language content with audio description access requirements
Galway and Dublin
Funds Irish film productions requiring accessible audio description tracks
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