Next tour: July/August 2028
I recently travelled to Ireland with retreat|recreate and a diverse group of fibre enthusiasts from all around the world. We spent ten days travelling throughout the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, visiting farms, mills, artist studios and museums, learning all about the history and current practices of the wool and linen industries. Every person/farmer/artist we met was engaging and passionate about the work that they do, and I came away with a great admiration for the Irish people. Add to that, a great group of women, a well-organized itinerary, beautiful landscapes, and Michelle, our amazing guide, and this adventure was one of the best trips I’ve taken. Susan from retreat|recreate planned a thoughtful itinerary and Michelle ensured that everything ran smoothly. If you love travel and textiles, and learning about new places, this is the trip for you. Be prepared for an immersive, very socially engaging experience. You will learn so much about the places you visit, and you will make new friends along the way. Theresa S – Ireland Textiles Tour 2026.
Just imagine being able to spend 11 days deep-diving on all of the things that make your loved ones’ eyes glaze over if you talk about them too much. This tour was total craft immersion, something you don’t get to experience unless you remove yourself from your regular life. Hanging out with wonderful, smart, funny people; geeking out about looms and fiber and the beauty of a flax farm; exploring natural dyeing in a stone building that’s older than the country I live in: yes please! The trip was a dream, so thoughtful and well-organised, and I truly feel like I’ve made friends for life. Shannon S – Ireland Textiles Tour 2026.
Join us to explore fascinating and beautiful Ireland through the lens of its textile and fibre delights in this small group tour! You’ll experience multiple hands-on workshops including botanical dyeing, both spindle and wheel spinning, tapestry weaving, eco-printing and needle felting.
Visit historic woollen mills, an alpaca farm, an historic beetling mill to learn about the processing of flax into linen, two very different sheep farms, specialist textile museums, and a linen farm where we’ll hear about the endeavours to revive Ireland’s famous linen industry. There’s tweed, linen, yarn, traditional Aran knitting, and fabulous Irish hospitality. And so much more!
Travelling through Ireland’s glorious emerald landscapes and ancient cities with a small group of likeminded textile enthusiasts is the experience of a lifetime and one you will cherish forever.
Important Notes
- this tour is for women only
- participants don’t need to be experienced textile artists – an appreciation and enthusiasm to learn about handcrafts is all that’s required;
- the minimum number of travellers on this tour is 9
- the maximum number of travellers on this tour is 14
- travellers need to have good fitness and mobility to participate in this tour and will be required to describe their fitness levels. We reserve the right to decline an application if we assess your fitness as inadequate for this itinerary.
We’re very excited about our handcraft-based Irish itinerary and hope you are too! If you’d like to receive the Information Pack for the 2028 tour when it is ready to open for applications, please get in touch HERE
Ireland was a delight. We visited artisans who are reviving linen and woolen manufacturing in the traditional ways; had workshops with excellent teachers; stayed in lovely hotels; and ate too much good food. Almost all of the people we interacted with were lovely. The countryside is beautiful; our guide was very knowledgeable; and the group worked beautifully together. It was a rich experience! Mina G – Ireland Textiles Tour 2026
