Follow In The Footsteps of Dickens and Joyce In Literary Belfast

Ever enjoyed creative writing workshops in an ornate 300-year-old library surrounded by valuable vintage books including a rare first edition of James Joyce’s classic novel, Ulysses?

Reading Room of the Linen Hall Library, tranquil ambience for our writing wokshops.

To celebrate our first-ever writing retreat in the charming city of Belfast in October, we’re delighted to announce we will host our author-led workshops in a special venue, a prestigious top-floor room in the Linen Hall Library, the oldest library in Northern Ireland established in 1788, a place where great writers conducted their research and polished their prose and poetry.

Located in the heart of the city, directly across from the historic City Hall and Museum, the library is a mere 100 meters from the upbeat hotel room2 where all our retreat participants will stay together. 

Room2 - vibrant and upbeat hotel and our retreat home in the heart of Belfast.

The Linen Hall, a tranquil place, counts many well-known writers as its members and guests, their ghosts perhaps still wandering around the bookshelves to this day. They include Nobel Prize winning poet, Seamus Heaney, who learned his writing skills, first studying at Belfast’s Queen’s University then at St. Joseph's College there before becoming a teacher at the local St. Thomas' Secondary School.

By sheer coincidence, St. Joseph's College is also where internationally-renown playwright, Brian Friel, honed his penmanship too. Plays that brought him international fame include ‘Dancing at Lughnasa’ later made into a box-office hit movie starring Meryl Streep, 'Philadelphia, Here I Come’ and ‘Translations.’

Belfast’s strong literary tradition, its cobbled alleyways and its old libraries also helped inspire local author C.S. Lewis to dream up his fantasy world of Narnia in his classic novel, ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,’ later transformed into a movie. 

Another Nobel prize winner associated with Belfast is Samuel Beckett who wrote ‘Waiting for Godot’ and was a teacher at Campbell College before moving to Paris. Even Jonathan Swift, author of ‘Gulliver’s Travels,’ is linked to Belfast. On one of his many visits to the city, he considered the craggy mountain-top outline of Cave Hill that overlooks the city as a sleeping giant, thus the sixty-feet-tall creatures in the land of Brobdingnag and the tiny people of Lilliput in his classic novel.  

Belfast’s literary tradition also attracted a host of other international writers to spend time there including Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, Charles Dickens and Mark Twain. A more contemporary group of writers includes Marie Jones who wrote the play 'Stones In His Pockets' hosted on Broadway and in the West End.

So walk with us in the footsteps of these successful writers during what we're confident will be a transformative week-long retreat in northern Ireland's charming harbour capital where you’ll be immersed in daily workshops, guided writing sessions and cultural tours of the city.

Evening entertainment is plentiful in Belfast with traditional Irish music a mere five-minute walk from our hotel at lively traditional pubs with colorful names such as Fibber Magee’s, The Sunflower, Kelly’s Cellars, Whites Tavern and The Duke of York.

As for theatre, the Grand Opera House, an elegant Victorian-era building that has hosted concerts and theatre productions for over a hundred years, is also within easy walking distance of our hotel. The Lyric Theatre, a landmark of the arts for more than 50 years, is where Liam Neeson, born 30 miles away and star of 'Shindler's List' and 'Michael Collins,' cut his teeth on stage. The century-old Ulster Hall nearby has hosted a diverse array of performers, from leading international classical orchestras to The Rolling Stones and Van Morrison.

And for lovers of high-quality chocolate, the city’s best varieties are served right next door to the Linen Hall library. A perfect place to indulge during our workshop breaks. 

Perfect place for chocolate lovers, right next door to the Linen Hall Library.

Aside from the opulent interiors of Ireland’s oldest library and City Hall, participants will also have free time during the week to wander the winding cobblestone streets of the Cathedral Quarter and to the riverside Titanic District, where the ill-fated cruise ship was built and where a multi-million euro museum now stands honoring those who died in the tragedy.

Each day of our retreat will offer a blend of writing workshops on the art of storytelling, dialogue, memoir, flash fiction and editing, plus free time to explore the city.

Our retreat is for anyone with a passion for writing, both aspiring and emerging writers, both of fiction and nonfiction, seeking inspiration, improvement of craft and connecting to other likeminded writers, writers who want to immerse themselves in the magic of place and words. For those who are interested to receive strong feedback from published authors on their works-in-progress, we will host a special workshop tailored exactly for this. 

APPLY NOW FOR BELFAST WRITING RETREAT

To ensure a more personal and supportive creative environment, space is limited to 10 participants only.

Let the stories of historic Belfast stir your own. Come write with us and enjoy the city's vibrant arts and culture scene.