Wednesday, November 05, 2008
KNIT IRELAND: AN EXCURSION TO THE CELTIC MISTS—June 21-27 2009
Pot 'o Gold beyond the rainbow
KNIT IRELAND: June 22-26th 2009
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Ireland, lush, green, mysterious. Ireland, rich with tradition and myths, a land of ancient standing stones, castles rising from the knolls, and miles of briney shoreline. Remember that pot of gold hidden beyond the rainbow? Well, it's still there, waiting for you in the land where dreams began.
And now you can find it for yourself. This June, slip into the magic of Ireland. Join Jo Kerrigen, aka 'Celtic Jo', Cork's native daughter and famed journalist, travel writer, storyteller, singer, and yarn alchemist, and myself on an Irish knitting retreat. This is an insider's delve into Ireland with treats you'd not likely find elsewhere. Consider storytelling by the fireside, the ancient legends unfolding as we knit, plus visits to a traditional pub, excursions to old weaving mills as well as stone circles and exceptionally beautiful places in West Cork and Kerry. Plus castles, always castles, and did I hear someone mention yarn? Well, we have at least ONE yarn shop, Spin A Yarn in Kenmare, to visit since they're friends of Jo's but remember, too, that Jo herself is a yarn maestro who turns straw into gold by weaving and dyeing. There will be no shortage of raw material for our knitting magic.
Our home away from home will be the lovely Gougane Barra Inn tucked beside a lake overlooking St.Finbarr's sixth century hermitage:
There is a green island in lone Gougane Barra,
Where Allua of songs rushes forth as an arrow;
In deep-valley'd Desmond - a thousand wild fountains
Come down to that lake from their homes in the mountains.
There grows the wild ash, and a time stricken willow
Looks chidingly down on the mirth of the billow;
As, like some gay child, that sad monitor scorning,
It lightly laughs back to the laugh of the morning.
The surrounding area, nestled as it is in the Derrynesaggart mountains by the river Lee, is outstandingly lovely with unending inspiration to fire both soul and needles. And, if that weren't enough, the inn is famed in the region for it's fine food (those who have been on one of my excursions know how important that is) that uses only locally-sourced produce cooked by a gifted chef with a nod to both the traditional and the inventive. Here's a few sample dishes to savour:
Starters: cream of leek & potato soup/ smoked salmon and spring onion
tartlet on mixed leaves with balsamic dressing/Galia, honeydew and
watermelon, fresh fruit and mango coulis/ Clonakilty black pudding with
salad and apple compote.
Main course: grilled West Cork lamb cutlets, onion confit & rosemary
gravy/ Grilled fillets of Castletown plaice, white wine, mushroom and prawn
sauce/ Oven roast darne of Kenmare salmon, drizzled with basil oil/ Creamy
vegetable curry served with Basmati rice.
Puddings: Classical creme caramel with whippped cream/ old fashioned apple
crumble warm, with cream/ chocolate brownie with vanilla ice-cream and
chocolate sauce.
Are you with me?
*ALL PHOTOS COMPLIMENTS OF RICHARD MILLS
ITINERARY (with more details to follow)
Though the details are unfolding, plan to be in Ireland for June 22nd. The best idea is always to arrive at least a day early to acclimatize yourself if flying overseas.Thereafter, the following (written in Jo's own words) will unfold across the days:
"A journey through the atmospheric Pass of Keimaneigh down to beautiful
Bantry Bay, stunning Glengarriff, and over the mountains to the little
market town of Kenmare for morning coffee followed by a visit to Spin A
Yarn, a delightfully friendly shop stocking everything from Noro, Debbie
Bliss, Rowan and other well-known labels, to traditional Irish bainin wool.
Nobody can come to Ireland without seeing the legendary Lakes of Killarney.
We will visit Muckross House, once the stately home of the Herbert family,
where Queen Victoria stayed. Craft workshops attached to the house display
weaving, bookbinding, pottery (the weaving shop sometimes has wonderful
cones of yarn for sale, remainders from the weaving shed, and Jo is going
to make sure there are plenty on display for our visit). We will drive up
along the lakes to breathtaking Moll's Gap with its view over the Black
Valley and the Gap of Dunloe.
A visit to Kerry Woollen Mills, in the Eadie family since the 18th century
and still housed in the original buildings near Beaufort, on the road to
Killorglin. Here Andrew Eadie will show us around the workings of the mill
and explain the process of turning fleece into yarn. There will be an
opportunity to look at exquisite knitwear, wraps, jackets and more, and buy
traditional bainin yarn. Also, if we are lucky, a rare and beautiful pure
organic fingering weight wool, which Andrew makes for a rather famous
American label (but promise you won't tell them when you get home as they
would rather he kept it all for them.)
St. John's Eve, or Bonfire Night. Yes, in Ireland we light a bonfire on
June 23 - since ancient times this had been the festival celebrating the
summer solstice, but Christianity, since it couldn't stamp it out, turned
it into the eve of a saint's day. At Gougane Barra, we will have our own
special bonfire, set ablaze on the hills as dusk falls and the merrymaking
starts with traditional music, song and dance. Make sure you get someone
to teach you how to dance The Walls of Limerick, The Siege of Ennis, The
Haymaker's Jig.
Perhaps the most abiding memory of Ireland that you take away will be the
beauty of the deep woods of Gougane Barra, where moss grows so thickly over
stone and branch that everything seems carpeted in a thick plush emerald.
Sun dapples through branches, old grey walls hint at communities long gone,
grey lichens contrast with glimmering streams and waving grasses. To
capture beauty like this in the pieces you create during our workshop
sessions will be at once impossible and wonderful."
Price $3500 per person single occupancy which includes:
- 5 nights double accommodation at the Gougane Inn
- 2 nights in
- Breakfasts and dinner plus several lunches
- Workshops and excursions
- Storytelling and entertainment
- All tours and ground transportation associated with tour
Fees do not include:
- Airfare to Ireland
- Alcoholic drinks or tips
- Travel or health insurance
Posted by Jane on 11/05 at 06:52 PM
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From the entry 'KNIT IRELAND: AN EXCURSION TO THE CELTIC MISTS -- June 21-27 2009'.
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| By Carol Parsons on 2008 11 17 |
