7 Night Ireland Fairytales and Flowers Retreat

• Complimentary private transfers on arrival and departure*
• Luxury coach with an experienced driver
• Experienced Guide/Tour Manager – Anne Marie Hayes
• All your Knitting and Craft workshops including materials
• Irish breakfast daily
• 3 course dinner each night
• 5 lunches
• Welcome Brunch
• Welcome Receptions in The Keadeen Hotel and Ballyseede Castle
• Castle Afternoon Tea
• Farm to Yarn visit to Ériu with talk, river nature walk, latest yarn colour palette show and tell and special gift
• An afternoon in the Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens
• 3 nights with your Castle Host, Carol Feller of Stolen Stitches
• Classes featuring Carol's Spring Conneal Cowl with Bluebell Stitches
• Aoibhe Ní show and tell on Irish Legends and Clothing through the millennia
• Tunisian crochet shawl class incorporating Irish folklore and mythology
• Baking demonstration with the Ballyseede Castle Chef
• Flower Arranging at the Castle
• Whiskey Tasting at the Castle
• Adare village visit
• Hushabye Farm Alpacas Experience
• Irish Alpacas Spinning Class
• Dalkey Castle Living History Tour
• Maeve Binchy and other Irish Writers' Dalkey Literary Walk

Workshops/Knitting Activities Included in This Tour:

• 2 days knitting with Carol Feller of Stolen Stitches!
• Discover Irish Mythology, History, St Brigid and their connections to Irish clothing through the milennia with Aoibhe Ní
• Irish Legends Shawl with Aoibhe Ní with an Introduction to Tunisian Crochet
• Spinning with Irish Alpaca Yarns
• Ériu Farm to Fleece Experience with a show and tell of their latest yarn palette and special gift
• Yarn and patterns are included in all workshops, you just need to bring your own needles, sizes will be advised

Day 1: Welcome to 7 days and nights of Fairytales and Flowers!

On arrival to Dublin, meet with your wonderful tour guide, Anne Marie Hayes. Journey in to the Thoroughbred Country in the County of Kildare and a stop at Newbridge Silverware.

A Welcome Brunch awaits, before a guided tour of the silver factory and exclusive discount shopping. Enter a world of elegance and beauty, in the Museum of Style Icons. Explore the costumes and clothes of some of the most famous faces in the world, including Audrey Hepburn, Princess Diana and Princess Grace Kelly.

Arrive at the tranquil family owned The Keadeen Hotel for a Welcome Reception and a meet and greet with talented crochet designer Aoibhe Ní. Aoibhe will take you on a journey across millenia, featuring legends, folklore and clothing – including the famous St. Brigid’s Cloak!

Enjoy your first night dinner and relax for the evening.

Overnight The Keadeen Hotel, County Kildare, Brunch and Dinner Included.

Day 2: Tunisian Crochet entwined with flowers and fairy stories!

Start today with an Introduction to Tunisian Crochet based on an Aoibe Ní Irish legend inspired design. Understand how a shawl’s colours, shape and size reelate to the ancient rules of Brehon Law.

Aoibhe uses the most basic techniques in such a way, you can carry on without assistance after the class is complete. By the end of class you'll have a small, shawl-shaped piece of fabric, and if you keep doing what you did in class, it'll grow to the size you want. Same engaging rules for every row. Stop when you decide it's done!

This afternoon enjoy lunch in the green surroundings of the Irish National Stud before a guided tour of the throughbreeds being cared for. Take your time exploring the serenity of the Japanese Gardens and St. Fiachra’s Garden.

Return to The Keadeen for dinner and a magical evening. We are bringing some of Dublin’s top performers to you for an evening of Folklore and Fairytales by candlelight!

Overnight The Keadeen Hotel, County Kildare, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included.

Day 3: The Kingdom of Kerry and Ballyseede Castle!

Say goodbye to Kildare and meander towards the South-West of Ireland.

Arrive at Ballyseede Castle for a Welcome Reception with Prosecco and canapés and a meet and greet with your host, Carol Feller of Stolen Stitches.

Allow the owner of Ballyseede Castle to take you on an exclusive castle tour before enjoying dinner in your elegant surroundings. Pick up your needles, sit back and enjoy your surrounding flowers, fields, woodlands and mountain views, adding to your relaxing evening.

Overnight Ballyseede Castle Hotel, Breakfast and Dinner Included

Day 4: Knitting, Baking and Whiskey Tasting!

After breakfast, join Carol to begin your Spring Conneal Cowl with Bluebell Stitches class. Enjoy learning how to knit this ethereal, springtime cowl in the comfort of the castle. After lunch, the Ballyseede chef will show you the secret to baking traditional Irish Guinness Bread.

Enjoy a casual knitting circle with Carol or take the time to enjoy your surroundings or perhaps take a walk. This evening take a journey through the history of whiskey making in County Kerry and sample some of the finest batches, all without leaving your wonderful domain!

Overnight Ballyseede Castle Hotel, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included

Day 5: More Knitting with Carol, Afternoon Tea and Flower Arranging

This morning continue your Stolen Stitches cowl project with Carol Feller, knitting your way through until the afternoon in your glamorous and historic surroundings.

Afternoon Tea will be served before an expert local grower will teach you the Cottage Garden style of flower arranging from start to finish. Enjoy more knitting with Carol into the evening before a relaxing dinner.

Overnight Ballyseede Castle Hotel, Breakfast, Afternoon Tea and Dinner Included

Day 6: Adare Village, Hushabye Farm Alpacas and Spinning with Irish Alpaca Yarns

Today, we bid farewell to Ballyseede Castle and begin our journey to Dublin., Stop in the village of Adare, with thatched roof cottages, blossoming gardens, castle, abbey and cute little cafes and bistros for refreshment. At Hushabye Farm, enjoy lunch before meeting the alpacas and learning about their farm life! Take a spinning class with Trish Kerr of Irish Alpaca yarns before browsing the Hushabye store!

Arrive at manor like 5 Star Radisson Blu St Helen’s and wind down after your day. Enjoy dinner and your surroundings.

Overnight Radisson Blu St Helen’s Hotel, County Dublin, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included

Day 7: Living History Tour Dalkey Castle, Literary Walk and Fleece to Yarn at Eriú Farm!

History comes to life with costumed actors in this immersive medieval Living History Tour. Discover for yourself the history of this rare, 14th Century Medieval Castle in this famous, scenic, heritage town.

From Samuel Beckett to Bono, George Bernard Shaw, Hugh Leonard, James Joyce to Maeve Binchy and Emma Donoghue, some of Ireland’s most famous writers and artists share a connection to our charming heritage town of Dalkey. The guided literary walk combines a guided walk of Dalkey and its scenic surrounds with snippets and extracts from works by the authors in a most charming way.

Zoe and Lionel of Ériu Farm to Yarn are dedicated to working with selected breeds and blends to produce quality Irish wool as a sustainable, natural resource. They are situated in the wild Wicklow Mountains at the foot of Lugnaquilla and named after Ériu, the Irish goddess of fertility, sovereignty and abundance. The area is surrounded by fairy rings and stone circles so there is a particular magical element to this part of Ireland.

Enjoy lunch on arrival before a farm tour and Spring river walk. See the Ériu woollen mill, currently under construction and learn about their latest yarn colour palette. Come away with your own gift of an accessory pattern and a skein!
Return to your hotel for a Farewell Meal with your companions.

Overnight Radisson Blu St Helen’s Hotel, County Dublin, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included

Day 8: End of tour

It is time to bid farewell to the enchanting fairytales and flowers of Ireland.

Depart your hotel following breakfast and travel to Dublin airport in time for check-in and some last minute duty free shopping prior to departure.