THE LOCATION

Join us as Wide Open Writing delves into the tastes, smells, and sounds of the Irish countryside in County Sligo, located near the rocky Atlantic coastline. Watch as the morning mist gives way to castle ruins, grazing sheep, soaring eagles, and the soft ripples on Temple House Lake.

Inside Temple Manor house, curled up on one of the comfy couches next to a roaring fire sipping our tea or coffee, we’ll imagine the presence of one or more of Ireland’s literary ghosts—Beckett,  Heaney, Sinead O’Connor, Joyce, Wilde, or maybe Bram Stroker?—as we allow their collective creativity to inspire us as we write and share.

THE RETREAT

We’ll immerse ourselves in the sensory delights of our exclusive stay at Temple Manor House, 130 miles from Dublin. The Georgian manor dates back to the 1600s. Its 1,000 acres of lush green grounds and forests are also home to the 13th-century lakeside castle ruins of The Knights Templar. And, if that wasn’t enough to arouse the senses, mere miles down the road is Western Europe’s most treasured concentration of prehistoric monuments—Ballymote Castle, Drumcliff Church, Maeve’s Cairn, Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, Creevykeel Court Tomb, Sligo Abbey, and others.

In the town of Sligo, which we’ll visit on our one-day tour of The Wild Atlantic Way and various historical sites in and around County Sligo, we’ll conjure the simple beauty of the area where William Butler Yeats spent his childhood and is buried. He wrote about County Sligo in his poem, “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”:

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,

Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;

There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,

And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

ACCOMMODATION

While at Temple House, we’ll have some peace and space to imagine, examine, write, and connect with others over meals in the large dining room, at morning yoga, while sharing a rowboat one afternoon on the lake, or over a beer at the local pub listening to live Irish music. There’s time for naps in one of the ten ensuite bedrooms and several nooks and crannies to hide away to read and write.

COST

Prices include seven days and six nights of exclusive use of the manor house, all workshop fees, transportation by private coach to and from the Dublin airport, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, optional yoga, and a one-day guided excursion to The Wild Atlantic Way. 

Single Deluxe Room - $4500 (Best views, larger rooms)

Single Room - $4000

Double/Shared Room - $3500

If Ireland calls to you, register quickly with a non-refundable deposit of $1,000 to secure your spot at this breathtaking property.

CANCELLATION POLICY
Deposits and full payments are non-refundable.

SCHOLARSHIPS
Wide Open Writing has established the Quinn Alexandra Scholarship to be given once a year to a recipient who otherwise might not have the opportunity to experience the wonder and “wow” a Wide Open Writing retreat gives to the soul. Apply for a scholarship here.

If you have any questions about whether or not this retreat is for you, please contact us. We would be happy to answer your questions or even put you in touch with a past participant.