Meet with your group and experienced tour manager/guide and start your experience with a Welcome Brunch! Next it is time to start exploring and looking for design inspiration! Christ Church Cathedral has been the heart of Dublin city since the Vikings more than a 1000 years ago. Explore the majesty of this architectural masterpiece including the world famous crypt and take a turn ringing the famous bells!
Visit the gorgeous Powerscourt Town House, home of This Is Knit. Here you will have an exclusive shopping experience in their fabulouse store, showcasing an amazing array of yarns and accessories.
This evening, enjoy a welcome drinks reception before meeting Fine Tapestry Artist, Angela Forte. Angela has been all about colour since she began weaving in the early eighties. Her large scale tapestries hang worldwide as well as hanging in prime locations across Dublin. Angela is simply passionate about colour. No other textile artist uses colour in the way that she does and her woven tapestries are a riot of vibrant colour combinations that are a delight to the eye and the senses.
Overnight in Hyatt Hotel, Dublin – Brunch and Dinner included.
Day 2: THIS IS KNIT, CRAFTS OF IRELAND AND MANOR HOUSE COUNTRY LIFE!
Join your coach and travel to the rural tranquillity of Crafts of Ireland, nestled in the County Cavan countryside. Sandra Cootes keeps the rich craft heritage of Ireland alive. Enjoy homemade goodies during a charming country lunch before learning how to prepare a fleece, card wool and spin yarn on a spinning wheel! Sandra will then show you how socks were knitted on an antique sock machine before taking you through the entire process from the creating of a hung hem for a soft top sock to turning a heel and using Kitchener stitch to close a toe. Learn where the term Kitchener Stitch came from and its Irish connections and then see how this method of stitching creates a completely seamless finish to your knitting.
Travel through the green hills and past the glistening waters, into the Lakelands of Fermanagh. Sweep up the drive to your Manor Country House home for the next four nights. You will be greeted by your knitting host, Knitwear Designer Edel MacBride, before a Welcome Drinks Reception and dinner.
Overnight Manor House Country Hotel, County Fermanagh – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.
Day 3: EDEL MACBRIDE FULL WORKSHOP, THE BOATYARD DISTILLERY, MUSIC, STORIES & MORE KNITTING!
Time to knit! After breakfast, join Aran knit expert Edel MacBride for the first of two full classes as well as Edel knitting with you throughout your Country Manor stay and excursions! Edel’s classes on Aran knitting and her unique techniques are highly sought after. Edel’s latest designs are examined, as are beautiful samples from earlier collections, including the family knitting archive. Expect a generous, creative experience using her custom Sliabh Liag (Slieve League) yarn and other Donegal yarns, with some new Irish fleece too! Included is a knitting kit in a design from Edel's 23/24 collection. Choose from a new beret design in a local Aran wool that was created by Edel for a movie set in Ireland this year, or another wearable piece of knitting art to make and wear from her collection. Lighter wool options, like double knit and four ply are available too.
After lunch we will take a short trip to The Boatyard Gin Distillery on the gorgeous shores of Lough Erne. Founded by Joe McGirr, from a local dairy farm, he learned his craft of distilling under the watchful eye of Scotland’s The Glenmorangie Company. His aim was simple – to create an Irish gin that would be perfect for cocktails and classic G&Ts. Discover how the fine spirits are produced and the botanicals are selected. Meet the team and discover the secret of ‘Érainn’ – the famous Copper still. Learn the history of the Boatyard and enjoy a tipple or two in the process!
Return to the Manor for an afternoon of relaxation and perhaps the Spa beckons! This evening after dinner, bring your knitting and sit with Edel while you are entertained with Irish music, song, dance and storytelling!
Overnight Manor House Country Hotel, County Fermanagh – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.
Day 4: A DAY ON GLENSHANE COUNTRY FARM – FROM FLEECE TO FASHION!
Join Jamese McCloy, a 4th generation gentleman shepherd for a day of fun on the farm! In the beautiful surroundings of the Maghera countryside in County Derry, prepare to be amazed at the skill and commitment of talented working dogs as you try a few tricks of shepherding for yourself.
Enjoy homemade scones and tea as Jamese talks fondly about his farming family and life before Jamese shears a sheep using traditional methods. If you are lucky, you will get to cuddle a baby lamb!
Continue with Fleece to Fashion in a fabulous Country Barn. Walk through the doors into this recently constructed building with epic floor to ceiling windows that give you incredible views right across the landscape. Feel the warmth and smell the turf fire as you follow the journey of a fleece from washing, dyeing with natural colours and create yarn using a spinning wheel. Embrace the giant spirit of Northern Ireland with some giant team work in some hand spinning. Understand the key properties of wool and it’s place in our sustainable future.
Enjoy a fantastic farmhouse lunch, including homemade bread using traditional family recipes. After lunch, enjoy a knit-a-long with Edel in your stunning surroundings, admiring the view as you go. Return to your Manor House Country Hotel for dinner and a chance to reflect on your day and knit into the evening.
Overnight Manor House Country Hotel, County Fermanagh – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.
Day 5: MORE KNITTING WITH EDEL, THE BUTTER MARKET AND RELAXATION!
Continue your knitting with Edel with your second full knitting class after breakfast. After lunch, visit The Butter Market. The Buttermarket Craft and Design Courtyard comprises of nineteen art and craft units and a coffee shop, housed in the restored early 19th century dairy market. The Buttermarket's unique position in the heart of Enniskillen makes it the central focus for the thriving craft industry in Fermanagh. Here you will have time to shop in the lovely EweMomma Yarn Store and we have a discount for you too!
The rest of the day is free for you to enjoy the peaceful setting of the lakeside for walks, make use of the Spa or simply curl up in one the cosy manor house armchairs and knit! Join your friends for dinner this evening in the hotel.
Overnight Manor House Country Hotel, County Fermanagh – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included
Day 6: BROWNLOW HOUSE, LIZ CHRISTY, IRISH ARTISAN AND KILLEAVY CASTLE!
After breakfast, check out of your Manor and begin your journey to Killeavy Castle Estate! Arrive at Brownlow House, also known as Lurgan Castle, a stunning country estate, with ornate high ceilings, stained glass windows and and spiral grand staircases. Experience knitting with the locals, before touring the house and two museums. Discover how Brownlow House was a base for the GIs during World War II and how Eisenhower helped plan the D Day Landings from this very location! Relax in the grandeur of the tea rooms with an Afternoon Tea fit for Downton Abbey!
We will stop off at the Swallow Studios, home of luxury scarf weaver Liz Christy. Luxurious hand-woven Irish scarves for women is the signature of Liz Christy’s design. Liz is a textile-designer and artist with an authentic style that embodies colour and warmth. See her at work and have the chance to purchase one of her designs, described as wearable art!
Arrive at Killeavy Castle Estate, to continue your relaxing, countryside opulence. Here we bring the yarn to you with an exclusive Irish Artisan Yarns pop up shop! Launched by Tara Osborough, the colours are greatly influenced by the wonderful Irish Landscapes where Tara grew up and where her family still live. The yarns produced are all hand painted and dyed. This highly collectable yarn is in short supply with every piece being unique. Only 5 skeins of a colourway are produced at any one time.
Overnight Killeavy Castle Estate, County Armagh – Breakfast, Afternoon Tea and Dinner included.
Day 7: THE ICONIC HILL OF TARA, CELTIC TWEED AND DUBLIN’S FAIR CITY
This morning after breakfast we travel to the ancient Hill of Tara!! The Hill of Tara is the jewel in the crown of the Boyne Valley landscape. A site that has been in use for more than 5000 years as a place of burial and assembly, it grew to fame with the Stone of Destiny at its centre, the legendary inauguration site of the ancient High Kings of Ireland. From its rolling slopes one can see all the way to the other great sites of the Boyne Valley, including Loughcrew Cairns, the Hill of Slane, Trim Castle and beyond. In later centuries it remained the focus of Gaelic identity and remains to this day the beating heart of Ireland. As you continue your way back to the Capital, experience an authentic, behind-the-scenes look at Celtic Tweed where tweed and linen clothing come to life, inspired by tradition and created with care and passion in every stitch and button sewn. Try your hand at a by-gone craft before browsing the flagship store or avail of the exclusive made-to-measure service.
We will arrive back at the Hyatt Hotel in Dublin where you will have time to explore, shop and dine at your leisure! Join your knitting friends for a Farewell Dinner in your hotel.
Overnight Hyatt Hotel Hotel, Dublin – Breakfast and Dinner included.
