44Clovers Dyeing to Knit Ireland Tour

*Due to lower than needed signups for this trip, we are moving it to October 2024. Stay tuned for further details 🤗🍀

Come Join me on an EPIC FIBER ADVENTURE in IRELAND !

With the help of Knittingtours.com of Ireland, a branch of Irish Tourism, we have put together a very special Knitting and Crafting tour for you. All of which includes 4**** hotels and a castle stay, all transportation, museums, farms, fiber mills, distilleries, and an amazing line up of knitting and dyeing workshops with some of Ireland’s finest knitwear designers and instructors including a workshop with me taking my hybrid plant dye workshop in my beloved Burren region in Co. Clare. Call Knittingtours.com Toll Free 1800 913 1135 to book your spot now.

Full detailed itinerary

Wool and patterns are included in all workshops, you only need to bring your knitting needles, sizes will be advised.

Overnights for this Tour

*Dublin for 1 night (Hyatt Centric Hotel or similar)

*Cavan for 1 night (Cabra Castle Hotel)

*Donegal for 2 nights (Mill Park Hotel or similar)

*Galway for 1 night (Galway Bay Hotel or similar)

*Inis Mor for 2 nights (Aran Islands Hotel)

*Clare for 2 nights (Old Ground Hotel)

Itinerary

Important Note: Attractions, Workshops and Demonstrations may change according to availability and scheduling

*Day 1: Tour Introduction, Little Museum of Dublin, Trinity College

Arrive at Dublin Airport and meet with an Irish Tourism representative who will transfer you to your hotel. At 1pm, meet with your Irish accredited tour manager/guide in the hotel lobby who will give a synopsis of the 10 day tour ahead. Begin today’s sightseeing with a visit to the award-winning Little Museum of Dublin. Set in a Georgian townhouse, this award-winning quirky museum along with its informative and funny tour guides will take you on a journey of Irish history and nostalgia over the last century. Next, it’s onto Trinity College Library & the Book of Kells Exhibition. The campus is a masterpiece of architecture and is recognised as one of the world’s outstanding centres of learning – the alma mater of Swift, Wilde and Beckett. This evening, enjoy a group welcome dinner at your hotel.

Overnight Hyatt Centric Hotel, Dublin, Dinner Bed & Breakfast Basis

Day 2: Lisa Sisk and Sandra Coote at Crafts of Ireland

Today enjoy a morning knitting workshop in your hotel with Lisa Sisk from This Is Knit on the Moebius Knitting style followed by a workshop on the Glenties Cowl pattern which was designed by Lisa. You will work with Soft Donegal yarn from the mills of Studio Donegal in Kilcar for this class. This afternoon, travel north towards the county of Cavan where you will spend the remainder of today with Sandra at her Crafts of Ireland studio. On arrival, enjoy a scrumptious Afternoon Tea where you will enjoy delicious homebaked treats whilst enjoying talks and demonstrations on different topics from flax growing to crochet and wool dyeing. Continue onwards this evening to Cabra Castle where you can enjoy the Irish castle experience and enjoy an exquisite dining experience.

Overnight Cabra Castle, Cavan, Dinner Bed & Breakfast Basis

Day 3: Carrickmacross Lace and The Shed Distillery

After breakfast, board your coach and travel the brief journey to today’s first stop, Carrickmacross Lace, famed for being used on the late Princess Diana’s wedding dress. Afterwards, visit the home of Drumshanbo Gunpowder Gin. In deepest rural Ireland, on the edge of a lake in Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim, is the home of The Shed Distillery and PJ Rigney. PJ created The Shed Distillery with its medieval copper pot stills, and began a quest to fuse oriental botanicals with the local Irish ones. Take a tour of the new visitor experience and sample a drop yourself!

Overight Mill Park Hotel, Donegal, Dinner Bed & Breakfast Basis

Day 4: Edel MacBride and Studio Donegal

This morning, take part in an intensive workshop with one of Ireland’s finest knitwear designers, Edel MacBride. Enjoy a core workshop including yarn pack, working the best of Irish moss, cable and Edel’s favourite Aran stitches. After your class and a light lunch (included), it’s onto Studio Donegal a hand-weaving and clothing manufacturing business committed to preserving and promoting traditional Irish hand-weaving. Here you will see the process of hand-weaving including the spinning, warping and weaving of the wool. Beautifully tailored vests, jackets and homeware products are made on site from their own fabrics. Studio Donegal’s soft Merino yarn is dyed and spun in the region and sold on site. Return to your hotel (approx. 5:30PM/6:00PM) where the remainder of the evening is free to explore the town of Donegal and seek out eateries for dinner.

Overnight Mill Park Hotel, Donegal, Bed & Breakfast Basis

Day 5: Belleek Pottery and Blatnaid Gallagher’s ‘Wool Safari’

Today, begin your journey south with a stop at Belleek Pottery, world famous producer of Parian china goods, Belleek Pottery has been promoting craftsmanship for over 160 years. Here, enjoy a guided tour which allows visitors full access behind the scenes to see the creative process behind the fine china as well as meeting some of the local craftspeople. Afterwards, continue your journey south making a quick pit-stop en route for lunch. In the afternoon, visit Blatnaid Gallagher of the Galway Wool Cooperative. Here, enjoy a ‘wool safari’ and learn about the preservation and conservation work that goes on within the coop itself before meeting the famous Galway herd! Travel to Galway and check-in to your ocean-front hotel. The remainder of today is free.

Overight Galway Bay Hotel, Galway, Bed & Breakfast Basis

Day 6: Carol Feller Workshop and the Aran Islands!

Today begins with a knitting workshop hosted with well-known Irish knitter and author of the book ‘Contemporary Irish Knits’, Carol Feller. Carol trained initially as a textile artist and then as a structural engineer. While both of these backgrounds are very different the influences can be seen in her design work which is well- shaped, flattering to wear and enjoyable to knit. After Carol’s workshop, there will some free time to have lunch (not included). Later this afternoon, it’s onwards to the village of Rossaveal to board your ferry to Inis Mor, the largest island of the Aran Isles. On arrival, meet with your local guide Una MacDonagh who will introduce you to island life before dinner along with a traditional Irish dancing lesson!

Overnight Aran Islands Hotel, Inis Mór, Dinner Bed & Breakfast Basis

Day 7: Aran Islands

Your morning on Inis Mór includes a knitting workshop with Úna Mcdonagh, where you will be instructed on traditional methods and stitches associated with the Aran Island way. Tour the island with a local guide and learn about over 50 different monuments of pre-Christian and Christian history. Visit the impressive fort of Dún Aonghasa with it’s three terraced walls surrounding an inner enclosure containing a platform on the edge of a 300 ft high cliff. It’s important to note that there’s a sharp incline as you walk to the fort and suitable footwear should be worn. It is not recommended for those who may have walking difficulties. The views from the top are quite breathtaking looking out over the Atlantic Ocean. You will also have the opportunity to visit some local knitwear shops on the island and enjoy a lunch (included) at Teach Nan Pháidí! Dinner will be served in your hotel this evening.

Overnight Aran Islands Hotel, Inis Mór, Dinner Bed & Breakfast Basis

Day 8: Back to the Mainland, Cliffs of Moher and Burren Walk

This morning, board your ferry for the mainland once again. Today’s first visit is to the magnificent Cliffs of Moher which rise to over 700ft above the churning Atlantic swells. Whilst here, visit the Atlantic Edge exhibition centre along with strolling out along the cliff network. Next, enjoy a walking tour with Tony Kirby who will showcase an area of outstanding botanical beauty featuring Arctic, Alpine, Mediterranean and Maritime plants. The location also features spectacular views of Galway Bay, the Aran Islands and Connemara along with prehistoric monuments. As part of this tour, Tony will assist in foraging and unearthing different plants/species for your dyeing workshop with Rachel tomorrow! Enjoy dinner at your hotel this evening.

Overnight Old Ground Hotel, Ennis, Dinner Bed & Breakfast Basis

Day 9: Natural Dyeing Workshop with Rachel Bingham Kessler

This morning, head north to a rural setting where you will take part in today’s dyeing workshop with Rachel Bingham Kessler. The focus of this full day workshop is on natural dyeing, a favoured area for Rachel who counts it as one of life’s exceptionally beautiful and rewarding experiences. She will also hone in on eco printing techniques along with testing plants for colour on local wool which will tie in with the plant materials found in the Irish countryside. Lunch (included) will be had onsite today. Later in the afternoon, return to your hotel before enjoying a farewell dinner tonight.

Overnight Old Ground Hotel, Dinner Bed & Breakfast Basis

Day 10: End of Tour

After breakfast, depart your hotel for Shannon Airport in time for check-in and last minute duty-free shopping.

Prices

€3,972.00 per person sharing /€972 supplement if a single room is required.

All bookings are taken in Euros so do check your current currency rates if coming from outside the EU.

If you are a non-knitter you will receive a €200 discount off the per person sharing price.

Booking Requirements & Cancellation Information

A non-refundable deposit of 20% of the total tour price is required to hold your booking (EUR 799.40 or EUR 993.80 for those requiring a single room). The balance of the tour is due 60 days before arrival and can be made in installment payments on request.

Cancellation Policy:

60 days or more prior to itinerary start date – Full deposit forfeit
59 days to 31 days prior to itinerary start date – 50% of total paid is forfeit 30 days or less – 100% of total paid is forfeit

For booking or any questions regarding the tour, please contact Maeve in our Groups Department toll free:

1 800 913 1135 or email maeve@knittingtours.com

Travel Insurance

We urge you to purchase cancellation insurance & supplemental medical coverage (which covers pre-existing conditions). This is a smart way to safeguard against life’s surprises.

Also it is important to note that a certain amount of walking is encouraged on our tours. All tour members must be able to mount steps into the coach and walk unaided at a reasonable pace from coach to hotel and coach to visitor attractions/events on possibly uneven ground. Passengers must be able to handle their own luggage. Coach driver’s and guides that are employed by The Irish Tourism Group cannot provide individualized help forwalking, getting on and off motor coaches, ferries or other personal needs.

Additional Information

When porterage of baggage is included in a programme, it is based upon a maximum of 1 piece of standard airline baggage per person. Passengers bringing baggage in excess of this amount may incur a surcharge. For the sake of passenger comfort, it is recommended that passengers limit baggage to 1 suitcase per person plus 1 carry on.

Items Not Included

Our tours do not include items of a personal nature such as laundry, room service, telephone charges or other hotel extras. All passengers are responsible for settling any such costs incurred before checking out of each hotel.

Gratuities

Gratuities are not included to the coach driver and tour guide. These are at the participant’s discretion.

Safety

It is the responsibility of each individual client to ensure that they do not behave in such a way as to cause offence or danger to themselves or others, or which risks damage to property. Each client shall be responsible for any injury or damage caused by their failure to behave in a safe and proper manner.

🍀 Do be in touch for any questions with myself or Maeve

Rachel: 44clovers@gmail.com Maeve: maeve@knittingtours.com