NEWS: New Writing Retreat Launches In Belfast This October

Growing up in Belfast and living through what is colloquially termed ‘the Troubles,’ the decades-old war in Northern Ireland, co-founder and lead writing tutor Sean Hillen returned home delighted to find his native city as one of the most welcoming cities he’s ever been on his travels as a foreign correspondent and author. 

So, we at ‘Ireland Writing Retreat,’ proudly named by the national newspaper, The Guardian, among the Top Ten creative retreats of any kind in Europe, are delighted to announce the launch of our first-ever writing retreat this October in this intriguing city, a place with a fascinating history and an impressive selection of top-notch tourism attractions. 

To honor this inaugural occasion, we’ve lined up some extra special activities to complement our author-led writing workshops in both fiction and nonfiction, including memoir, hosted by two specialised tutors-cum-authors and Sean. 

Our packed cultural itinerary includes special lunches in inspiring historic locations, live music, a guided city walk and an enjoyable evening at one of Belfast’s leading entertainment venues. 

OUR HOTEL

The first good news. Where will participants stay?

For the convenience of all participants, we’ve arranged for everyone to stay together in an eclectic, upbeat and environmentally-friendly downtown hotel, within easy walking distance of the city’s main highlights, Room2 Belfast.

ARTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

There’s no doubt, with its lively Cathedral Quarter filled with charming cafes, restaurants and traditional music pubs, not to mention its friendly people and dynamic theatre and arts scene, Belfast has become Ireland’s hottest ‘must-see’ city.

One travel writer summed it up well, saying, “Belfast has the vibe of a city and the warmth of a small town.”

And with the Titanic Museum as one of its many emblematic attractions and beautiful coastal scenery just a short drive away, it’s no wonder the city features so strongly nowadays in travel books and magazines and is a hub for film and TV productions, including Game of Thrones. 

If truth be known, the most challenging part of our whole retreat is selecting among the multitude of activities our participants would enjoy most. 

Here are some of them. We’ll keep it a surprise which ones we’ll choose.

GUIDED TOUR

Learning about Belfast’s intriguing history and culture is even more entertaining when joining a city tour led by Conor, a natural story-teller whose wit, intelligence, and thoughtful conversation brings small corners of Belfast to life. Conor provides a fascinating down-to-earth experience for participants exploring the city’s charming streets and centuries of intriguing history. There’s simply seems nothing he doesn’t know about his native city, including its innermost secrets, whether it be narrow alleyways with mysterious symbols and writings on walls to pubs with the largest selection of whiskeys, clubs with the best music, cafes with the most delicious chocolate and incisive political tours about the ‘Troubles’ including detailed analysis of the Peace Walls and the city’s colorful wall murals.

INSIDE CITY HALL

Participants will enjoy a visit inside Belfast’s historic City Hall, a fusion of past and future. Opened in 1906 and classical Renaissance in style, it boasts beautiful stained-glass windows depicting Celtic myths and legends, such as the Cattle Raid of Cooley, as well as commemorating victims of the Great Famine and the First and Second World Wars. City Hall also has its very own museum depicting the development of the city in documents, photographs and video. One exciting addition is its augmented reality experience. Using a tablet, visitors marvel at books flying Harry Potter-like from shelves, watch animated characters in vintage clothing explain what they were doing hundreds of years ago and enjoy dramatic three dimensional images of the city’s most famous landmarks. They are also guided around the grounds which feature gorgeous sculptors and memorials including the Titanic Memorial Garden where bronze plaques are inscribed with the names of the 1,512 people who perished onboard the so-called ‘ship of dreams.’

LUNCH IN A STUNNING MUSEUM

Close to the historic Queens University on charming tree-lined boulevards, the Ulster Museum is the leading museum in the country, exploring past, present and future through impressive collections of art, natural science and history. Hundreds of fossils as well as the only dinosaur bones ever found in Ireland combined with exotic costumes and fashion accessories, pottery, furniture and jewellery reflect the country’s evolution from the Stone Age to the modern era. Asian, African, European and Pacific art also adorn the museum, along with an Egyptian mummy named Takabuti. There’s also a fascinating collection of centuries-old artefacts on the ill-fated Spanish Armada invasion. 

WALKABOUT IN BOTANICAL GARDENS

No better place for an enjoyable post-lunch walk than the Botanical Gardens right beside the museum. Here is where the city’s most talented gardeners grow tropical plants of all kinds in the Tropical Ravine and Palm House, ranging from Killarney ferns to orchids, banana trees, cinnamon, bromeliad from the Americas, and some of the world’s oldest seed plants, some over 200 years. Visitors can also see giant bird feeders, a beautiful rose display and an alpine garden with intricately-designed flower beds and sculptures.

CENTURIES-OLD LIBRARY 

City’s oldest library, Linen Hall Library, which opened its doors 300 years ago in 1788 in a former linen warehouse Houses many invaluable books published over the centuries. Its specialised collections include a theatre and performing arts archive featuring printed plays of the 18th century to collections of production programmes, a literary section focusing on writers from Northern Ireland from the 19th century onwards and a political one covering some of the most dramatic events with over 350,000 items including artefacts, books, pamphlets, leaflets and posters. It also hosts hundreds of exhibitions and events every year ranging from music to archaeology.

THEATRE AND OPERA

A visit to Belfast is not complete without enjoying one of its many music or theatre productions.

A springboard for internationally acclaimed playwrights, poets and actors including Liam Neeson, the Lyric Theater first opened in the home of its founder, Mary O’Malley, in 1951 before moving to its present location close to the Ulster Museum. Describing itself as “Northern Ireland’s premiere full-time theatre to produce its own productions from page to stage,” it not only hosts diverse performances on two separate stages but also helps train young actors and playwrights through its drama courses, strengthened by its links to the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company, both at the theatre and in communities, schools and colleges across Northern Ireland.

Dating back to 1895 and located in the heart of the city, Grand Opera House is a richly ornate Victorian-era theatre that has been in the vanguard of Belfast arts and culture for generations, welcoming numerous famous faces across the years including greats like Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Orson Welles, singers Luciano Pavarotti and Van Morrison and actors Anthony Hopkins, Sarah Bernhardt and Judi Dench. 

Did we mention our writing workshops would be hosted in a place haunted by literary ghosts? 

Or that we’d visit the most popular market in the city, one that has hosted such gatherings for almost 500 years, and in a charming location adorned with Roman-style arches featuring Latin and Irish inscriptions.

If we told you more, sure there’d be no surprises left to tell. 

And we have a most generous Early Bird package valid until June 30th, so become a Friend of the Ireland Writing Retreat (it’s free) and access this exclusive offer.