Learn from the island’s master crafters
Immerse yourself in Ireland’s heritage and try your hand at traditional, local crafts!
Ireland’s captivating scenery is sure to inspire artists. Set in a warm, cozy studio on The Gobbins clifftop in County Antrim, Audrey Kyle’s Économusée Workshop Experience is the perfect place to learn some watercolor techniques while enjoying the dramatic Antrim coastline. Classes are small and individual attention is guaranteed during the three-hour class.
Windrush Farm in County Wicklow runs Art in the Wild workshops with an artist and an ecologist. This involves wandering through a gorgeous nature reserve to gather materials, followed by a workshop to make an eco-friendly journal, a leaf-printed bag, and charcoal from willow.
Ireland has a long history of crafting exquisite jewelry; a visit to the Ór, Ireland’s gold collection at the National Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street in Dublin, will tell you everything about Irish jewelry-making skills. Inspired by all that beauty? How about a jewelry-making course? Lina Varna’s beginners’ jewelry-making workshops are ideal, with just three students so you get plenty of hands-on attention. Pick one of Lina’s the gorgeous jewelry designs, or design your own piece.
Want to get off the beaten track and try something different? Jeanette Keenan is a basket weaver who runs willow-weaving classes in County Armagh in the beautiful Ring of Gullion that also include woodland walks and a visit to a Celtic Iron Age roundhouse. There’s been a basketweaving revival on the island of Ireland as part of a trend for some of the island’s traditional, indigenous craft items becoming fashionable for interiors, and baskets are one of the most popular. This half-day introduction to willow weaving is perfect for beginners, and at the end of the session, you’ll have your very own piece to take home with you.
How about an immersive food experience? There are several fantastic tours to choose from with Lough Neagh Tours, but the Life On the Shoreline Tour (North/East) really allows you to rub shoulders with the locals and Lough Neagh. The day starts off with a cooking demonstration, followed by a trip to the Lock Keeper’s Cottage for a traditional eel dinner prepared by the family of a fourth-generation eel fisherman. Round off the evening with a visit to the Crosskeys Inn for a lively night of whiskey tasting and traditional music.
For a fascinating brewery tour at the heart of Ireland, join 13th-generation farmer David Walsh-Kemmis on a guided walk of the barley fields and hop garden at Ballykilcavan Farm and Brewery in County Laois. David shares stories of his family’s 400-year farming history as he shows you around the wonderfully restored 18th-century farmyard and the 240-year-old building that is home to their modern brewery. After that, enjoy a tutored tasting from Ballykilcavan’s ever-evolving range of traditional stouts and ales and contemporary craft styles.
Which experiences are you going on your Ireland bucket list?
