Retreat to Ireland

You know this feeling, don’t you? You’ve been planning a trip for months. Years sometimes. You’ve read books and talked to people and scoured the internet searching for hostels and cafes and salsa dance classes. You’ve had dreams and journaled and stared longingly at other people’s pictures of mountains, beaches, and horseback riding. Then, one […]

Yoga is a part of every morning on Retreat to Ireland. We typically have 90-minute sessions before breakfast to get you a little sweaty, breathing deeply, and ready for our adventures in the afternoon. We’ll explore all kinds of poses and even get upside down! What to expect while you sweat… -I teach to who […]

After listening to the sounds of chisels on stone and watching strong men lift big rocks during West Cork’s annual Stone Symposium, I headed over to Frank’s shop in a remote village on the Sheep’s Head Peninsula for a popsicle. Thankfully it’s an all-in one-shop … the popsicles are kept near the post office counter:) […]

I walked into the community hall in Kilchrohane right after lunch. Men and women stood in front of their granite slabs with chisel and hammer in hand, stone carving. This tap tap tapping filled the air, a new kind of rock music. I filmed a little bit so you could get a sense of the […]

We walked into Thomas Dillion’s Claddagh shop in Galway City holding our breath a tiny bit. All three of us wanted one; my mom, my cousin, and myself. We wondered if this shop was truly the original maker of the Claddagh ring … I guess you could say we were feeling skeptical, with a side […]

Storm Emma has made her way down from Siberia and is HAMMERING all of the UK and Ireland, as well as parts of Europe. Virgin snowflakes are falling upon revirginized ground and the snowfall is impacting these countries quickly. You see, it doesn’t normally snow here, so ya know, plows aren’t part of the infrastructure. […]

It happens. From driving to work, to appointments and meetings. From taking the kids to soccer and school and birthday parties, to all those house projects yet to be finished … it’s pretty easy to get stuck in the daily grind. Even for the things and the people we love! That’s why travel is a […]

Part of the magic of travel in Ireland for the modern person is all about getting lost. This is so you can find yourself again. What do I mean? Have you ever had something go “wrong” only to realize that whatever happened actually led you to something of great value? If my plans hadn’t gone […]

I walked into Peter and Amanda Clarke’s house last week on a sunny morning and as I entered their kitchen Amanda whispers, “Kat, come here…” I tiptoed over to the door she was standing in front of and looked out. There, sitting quietly, was a beautiful little fox. Red and slight and breathing lightly. We […]

Retreat to Ireland is held in the largest county in Ireland, County Cork. And it’s specifically located in an area lovingly known as “Wesht Cork” by the older farmers and country people. Acknowledged by wider Ireland as a quirky locale with a cosmopolitan mix of humanity, you can’t walk two steps without meeting a yoga […]