Creative Retreats in Ireland

A creative retreat needs different things from a wellness one. Tables, not floor space. Daylight, not candlelight. And somewhere to leave the work out overnight, because the worst part of a painting retreat is packing it all away every evening.

You teach, or you are looking for somewhere to take a group of writers, painters or makers. Rates, capacities and dates.

Creative work does not fit a timetable of hour-long sessions. It wants a whole morning, then a whole afternoon, and someone else to have thought about lunch.

Three meals a day, cooked here. Nobody leaves the site to eat, and nobody loses two hours doing it.

The Roundhouse takes up to 50 and is the obvious teaching space. The Barn is where people end up afterwards, which on a writing retreat is usually where the reading-aloud happens.

Twenty-two ensuite rooms. Everyone gets a door that closes, which on a silent-morning schedule matters more than it sounds.

The one question every painting and craft tutor asks, and almost no venue answers: can the work stay out?

No air conditioning, so nothing is being blown about. Rooms sit between 19 and 21 degrees and every window opens.

Glendalough has been painted and photographed for as long as people have carried the equipment to do it. Two lakes, a valley, a monastic settlement, and light that changes every twenty minutes.

That last part is a gift or a problem depending on your medium, and either way it gives a group something to talk about.

Practically: an hour and ten minutes from London, an overnight from the American east coast, English spoken, euro spent. For a tutor filling a retreat, an easy trip is a smaller ask.

May to September for anyone working outdoors. Long evenings, and the light lasts until late.

November to February suits indoor work very well and costs less. Short days, fires lit, and a group that is not tempted to wander off. Writing retreats in particular do well in the dark months.

You bring the group and the teaching. We do the rooms, the food, the fires and the logistics.

What you charge is yours. We take no commission on your tickets.

Rates, capacities and available dates · Planning a retreat in Ireland

Creative work does not fit hour-long slots. Most tutors run a long morning, a long afternoon, and leave the evening alone.

Because all three meals are cooked here, nobody leaves the site to eat and nobody loses two hours to it. That is the single biggest difference between a productive week and a scattered one.

Five nights is the usual shape. Seven gives you a full day out, and Glendalough is the obvious subject if your medium suits it.

Twenty-two ensuite rooms, so nobody is sharing. No air conditioning, which means nothing is being blown around; rooms sit between 19 and 21 degrees and every window opens.

Complimentary wifi throughout, for anyone whose work needs it. Two EV charging points. Electric bikes at EUR 50 a day if the group wants to range further.

Laundry washed on site on request, which matters more on a painting retreat than most.

Ireland is a short flight and no language barrier, so the ask is smaller than a week in southern Europe. One hour ten from London, a direct overnight from the US east coast.

And the light changes every twenty minutes, which is either a gift or a problem depending on your medium. Either way it gives a group something to talk about at dinner.

Rates, capacities and available dates · Planning a retreat in Ireland

The question every painting and craft tutor asks, and almost no venue answers. Because you have exclusive use of the whole site for the week, the room does not have to be cleared between sessions. Tell us which space you want to work in when you book.

The Roundhouse takes up to 50 and is the obvious teaching space. The Barn is the social room, with an outdoor fire pit lounge off it. The Shed seats 26 for dining. All three are yours for the week.

Twenty-two ensuite rooms, so everyone gets a door that closes. On a week of solitary work that matters more than it sounds.

Accommodation, three meals a day cooked on site, the rooms you are working in, and the sauna, cold plunges and soak baths. Six acres, exclusively yours.

No. What you charge is yours.

May to September for anyone working outdoors, when the light lasts until late. November to February suits indoor work and writing very well, costs less, and nobody is tempted to wander off. Expect around ten rainy days in June against thirteen in January, so plan for weather either way.

Glendalough's two lakes, and the Wicklow Way starts a few minutes from the gate. The upper lake is a walk rather than a drive. Most tutors build an afternoon of it into the week.

Tell us when you book and we will take delivery and keep it dry until you arrive. Most tutors shipping materials send them to arrive the week before.