Photo: Fisher Street in Doolin: credit Bjørn Christian Tørrissen through Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
Art and Writing Tracks are all Currently Full but we Invite anyone interested to get on our Wait List. Thank you!
Schedule? What Schedule?
The retreat offers but never requires fellowship with other creatives. You can spend the whole time walking along the cliffs, or participate in our group meals and activities. We are renting adjacent lodges in the village center—-each lodge will have 3-5 retreat participants with no other guests. Accommodations, 2 meals/day included in the price (exception: only dinner on arrival day and only breakfast on the departure day). A proposed schedule is below, but feel free to do your own thing….
Ireland Creative Retreat Optional Schedule—evolving and subject to change—-
Day 1: May 18, 2025
Arrive! Dinner together in one of our lodges. Orientation: meet one another, optionally form writing groups. Settle in, or head out to pubs or stargaze—-up to you.
Day 2: May 19, 2025
Breakfast together at the Fiddle & Bow hotel
Writers and Artists: First Writing Workshop is a 3/4 day tour beginning with stones, moving through natural areas, a visit to a chocolate atelier for a break, more writing and wandering, lunch at a village inn, and more poetry afterwards. This workshop is led by writer and environmentalist Grace Wells and will get us situated in space. See workshop page for more details.
Free Time/ Optional Writing groups or activities
Day 3: May 20, 2025
Breakfast together at the Fiddle & Bow hotel
Writers and Artists: Wild Atlantic Way guided walking cliff tour with picnic lunch. Optional photography workshop add-on in the afternoon with local photographer Andreas Riemenschneider.
Lunch for those not walking at the lodges
Free Writing Time/Optional Writing groups or activities. Artists: first workshop.
Day 4: May 21, 2025
Breakfast together at the Fiddle & Bow hotel
Writers: Second Writing Workshop
Artists: Second Art Workshop
Lunch with Writing Workshop Provider
Poet photos with professional photographer Andreas Riemenschneider (add-on) and second half of the photography workshop (add-on). Free Writing Time/Optional Writing groups or activities
Day 5: May 22, 2025
Breakfast together at the Fiddle & Bow hotel
All: Cave tour and picnic
Free writing time/Optional Writing groups or activities
Day 6: May 23, 2025
Breakfast together at the Fiddle & Bow hotel
Writing Workshop 3; Art Workshop 3
Lunch with Workshop provider
Free writing time/Optional Writing groups or activities/ optional Art workshop with Martin Bridge (writers may join: sliding scale $50-$100)
Day 7: May 24, 2025
Breakfast together at the Fiddle & Bow hotel
Old Growth Forest Field Trip (optional) with picnic
Lunch at lodges for those not on field trip
Free writing time/ Optional Writing groups
Day 8: May 25, 2025
Breakfast together at the Fiddle & Bow hotel
Writers: Workshop 4
Artists: Workshop 4
Lunch with workshop provider
Free writing time/Optional Writing groups or activities
Day 9: May 26, 2025
Breakfast together at the Fiddle & Bow hotel
Optional Writing groups or activities
Dinner together and Group Reading and Art show with local authors/artists—-party! at the Hotel Doolin “Attic”
Day 10: May 27, 2025
Breakfast together at the Fiddle & Bow hotel and goodbye
Travel
Notes about the Intent of our Gathering, specifically for Writing Workshop Participants:
No one is required to participate in any aspect of the retreat; but we hope you will enjoy the workshops, all of which focus on some aspect of the Natural world. As part of Nature, and as creatives, we are coming together to learn from one another and from this land. Our goal in creating the retreat is to foster relationships with land and share ideas on how to incorporate Nature and our relationship to it in writing. We hope for a gathering of like-minded people using their creativity to connect. For some this will be an individual, contemplative time with their own journey; for others the focus might be querying the way we use working/agricultural lands, while any creative can ponder the work their art does in the world, and how it might forward a more balanced relationship between humans and the natural web. We hope that whatever goals you bring, it’s a generative and welcoming time for all.
Who may attend: You
Authors and artists at any stage of their career are welcome. The writing and art we produce will become part of a Writing the Land anthology. This is a great opportunity for creatives and outdoors people to help protect the lands and waters we love. We hope to fit all works into the book (but can’t guarantee that).
Prices depend on accommodation type (please note these are in US dollars): There is now a Waiting List for all tracks: writing and art. Please fill out the form to get on the waiting list. Thank you!
What is Included: 10 day writing or art retreat in rural southern Ireland in a quaint village in an amazing natural setting by the sea
Accommodations: we will be staying all together in adjacent lodges at the village center—we’ve rented the entire lodges so there will only be 3-5 workshop participants per lodge. Shared and private rooms are available (reserve to lock in your desired accommodation type).
2 meals every day (except arrival and departure days: dinner upon arrival day, breakfast upon departure day) Breakfast by the Fiddle & Bow hotel, and lunches and picnics catered by Wild Catering, using locally-sourced farm-to-table foods
ART TRACK: Art track participants will be working with resident artist Martin Bridge, will join the writers in meals, writing workshop 1 and the included field trips to cave and cliff, but otherwise be participate in 5 art workshops with Martin.
WRITING TRACK: 4 writing workshops, each with a different local Irish writer, in various genres. Learn something new every other day. All are optional. Stay on to eat lunch with the local writer.
Co-organizer and resident Irish editor, Ryan Dennis of The Milkhouse: Rural Writers Collective will meet with writing retreat participants as desired—-he’s here to help you throughout the retreat, and will be the on-site retreat coordinator; Martin Bridge will be mentoring the artists.
Nikki Griffin, local Irish poet, will have dinner with us one night and read from her many collections (we are hoping this is day 9, on our final night)
Optional peer groups (grouped by genre or interest, there will be signups)
Your writing and art will be considered for inclusion in a Writing the Land anthology (we will take as many as we can; we intend to take all).
Included field trips: 1) guided hike along the cliffs of Moher; and 2) Doolin Cave
Add-ons: photography workshop: 1 day in the field and 1 day post-processing (in the afternoon, will not interfere with writing workshops) $100. Photographer Andreas Riemenschneider
For writers, Martin Bridge will offer an art workshop on day 6, afternoon, optional (sliding scale $50-$100)—please preregister with Lis
Photos/headshots: have your professional photos taken at the stunning cliffs of Moher 60 Euros (about $60) Photographer Andreas Riemenschneider
Optional Field trips: lunches can be packed as picnics—-options you can do on your own include a walk along the Wild Atlantic Way; tromp across fields; birdwatch; explore farms; sheep dog demonstration plus stone fort tour; take a ferry to the Aran Islands; do yoga on the pier and then relax in hot tub nearby (transport included, yoga/hot tubs is priced at a group rate of 60 euros per person); or relax in pubs—-Doolin is famous as a hub of traditional Irish music. The walking trail along the cliff is almost exactly 1 mile from where we’re staying. Taxis are available if you’d like to start your walk on the cliff path.
Other surprises——we will keep adding things as we have them :) We are putting together a list with coupons for discounts and sign-ups for group rates; all are optional.
Discounts to purchase 4 of our workshop authors’ books are already available (codes will be sent to you upon sign-up)—-read ahead :)
Not Included:
Flights/airport transfers
Transportation beyond field trips. There are taxis in Doolin, and also things are close to one another for walking.
Alcohol
Flight Info:
There are several airports to choose from. Shannon (SNN) is the most convenient, about 1 hour from Doolin. Flights from the east coast of the US range between $500 to $1500 round trip depending on timing and airport, but please do your own research on this, it’s so variable and not easy to predict into 2025. Dublin (DUB) is probably the least expensive to fly into, but also the farthest away from Doolin (3 hrs or a little more); Shannon (SNN) (1 hr) , and Cork (ORK) (2hrs or less).
Getting to Doolin from the Airport:
From Shannon Airport take the Bus Eireann Route 343 Bus to Ennis, then transfer to the Bus Eireann Route 350 which stops in Doolin. Taxis also available, as are private car hire (some even include tours on your way from the airport—- Burren Tours is one option for private transport from the airport with a tour along the way for 140 euros.)
The Fine Print….
Details: Terms: We ask you to pay in stages (although you can always pay up front in 1 lump sum or sooner than requested)
Stage 1: A non-refundable (but transferable, before June 1, 2024) deposit of $200 will reserve your space and your chosen accommodation type (private room or shared) when booking. There are limited private rooms, so consider bringing a friend.
Stage 2: June 2, 2024 1/2 payment required. During the period June 2, 2024 through December 31, 2024 you can get a partial refund of $500, with the rest forfeited if you decide not to follow through.
Stage 3: Full payment required January 1, 2025 (or upon reservation if added after this date), after which date no refunds or transfers will be given unless the retreat is cancelled. Insurance for a long trip like this is recommended in case something happens and you can’t make it. We will be as accommodating as we can be—-for example if there’s someone on the wait list who will take your spot, we will lower or eliminate the penalties as possible. We’re creatives too, and understand this is a long time ahead; the official framework is because we have deposits to put down, and promises to keep….
If the retreat is cancelled a full refund will be given.