Solas
Writer’s Retreat
November 2024
Photo credit: Barry McCall
With Annemarie Ní Churreáin
Join us at the Song House for a workshop weekend with Donegal poet Annemarie Ní Churreáin to celebrate Samhain, a special time of year when the veil between this world and the Otherworld is at its thinnest. The retreat will offer an immersive space for poets at all levels to explore, reflect, learn and write in the lap of Muckish Mountain, and among the echoes and shadows of Lugh Lámhfhada and other mythological ghosts.
Unfolding over two nights and three days, this Samhain gathering will provide poets with an intensive space to edit and discuss contemporary poetry. Participants are invited to submit a poem in advance of the weekend for group editing over the course of the weekend (guidelines for submission of poems will be provided). The weekend is designed to support poets who are committed to the practice of writing to develop their craft, and to evolve early poetry drafts into poems of a more complete nature. We'll be taking walks, sharing meals, and drawing inspiration from the richness of the local landscape.
The Song House (or Teach na nAmhrán in Irish), formerly known as The Poets’ House was, in a previous life, a literary hub for 20+ years, visited by Seamus Heaney, Derek Mahon, Paula Meehan and others. The house is situated in the stunning north west Donegal Gaeltacht landscape and participants will, over the course of the weekend, have the opportunity to hear/speak the Irish language and to read Irish-language poetry in translation. Beimid ag glacadh inspioráid ón béaloideas áitiúil, an teanga beo agus an timpeallacht. Weekend accommodation for the retreat is available at the house (with a limited number of single rooms and some shared rooms) or nearby locally.
Enjoy a welcoming atmosphere that promotes listening, imagination & reflection, as we celebrate the writing & creativity of individual participants, making your creative work central to the weekend. Please bring warm clothes and suitable shoes for short nature walks.
Bí linn.
Costs
Course Dates
7th Nov 2024
10th Nov 2024
to
What is included?
All the writing workshops, accommodation, food for breakfast and lunch, and the evening meal when you arrive on the first night.
Arrival and Departure Times
Arrive from 4-6pm on the first evening
Depart after breakfast on the final day
For travel to the Song House, please see our Getting Here page.
Please take some time to familiarise yourself with our Cancellation Policy.
About the Teacher…
Annemarie Ní Churreáin’s books include Bloodroot (Doire Press, 2017), Town (The Salvage Press, 2018) and The Poison Glen (The Gallery Press, 2021). She is a recipient of the Arts Council’s Next Generation Artist Award and a co-recipient of The Markievicz Award. The Yale Review has reported that Ní Churreáin “often captures a whole world of cultural and historical implications in a single, simple, but metaphorically rich image”. Ní Churreáin has held literary fellowships in the U.S. and throughout Europe. She is the poetry editor at The Stinging Fly magazine.
Visit www.studiotwentyfive.com
Photo Credit: Barry McCall
Annemarie Ní Churreáin
Annemarie describes our previous Solas workshop from February 2022.
Listen to her episode of the Song House podcast, hosted by former co-ordinator Sinead Gallagher.