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*After booking, Breda will reach out via WhatsApp or email to schedule your retreat dates and itinerary
The Cottage at Clifden
The old farmhouse in the heart of County Clare countryside sits in a sheltered valley shaped by long hills and low woodlands. It is a long extended stone cottage with a few old-age aches and fractures, happily wearing its original early 1920’s rustic farmhouse cottage charm; a tap may be creaky or a door handle a bit squeaky, but you will have a comfortable room with an en-suite bathroom, breakfast, lunch and dinner: a desk in a quiet and inspirational bookshelved lounge to write and a garden to enjoy your morning refreshment when the Irish weather permits.
This quiet country setting surrounded by farmland, rolling fields, sloping hills, low valleys, wild woods, rivers and lakes provides the perfect place to work on your memoir with Breda, your retreat host, helper and memoir writing tutor.
Daily Itinerary & Excursions
Morning
Enjoy a slow start to each morning with a breakfast prepared by Breda before your allotted private writing time. This is intentional, quiet, uninterrupted time that could be used for for:
Drafting
Reflection
Editing and shaping your memoir
Integrating insights from the previous day’s workshop
Afternoon
Once your mind is sharp and engaged in your memoir, you will participate in daily teaching from Breda that includes:
Sensory writing and scene building
Writing emotional truth
Ethical questions in memoir
Live reading and supportive feedback
Memoir structure and narrative strategies
Lunch follows your Memoir Tuition and Workshopping either provided by Breda or taken at a local café/restaurant during optional excursions.
You will be able to choose your ideal afternoon:
Optional scenic or literary excursions
Free time for writing or rest
Independent walks
Quiet reading in the retreat lounge
All excursions are:
Optional
Tailored to your needs, preferences, energy, mobility
Weather‑ and season‑dependent
Evening
In the evening, enjoy a home-cooked meal at The Cottage or indulge in local pubs or restaurants on excursion days.
Optional Excursions (Choose Any Day)
Below are the curated excursions available throughout your stay.
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Edna O’Brien
Born in Tuamgraney, Edna O’Brien was a brave writer of fiction and memoir. She is one of Ireland’s best known literary figures and Clare’s most infamous writer of the 20th century.
Featured in the Literary Clare Experience
Lady Gregory
Folklorist, dramatist, Abbey Theatre co-founder Lady Gregory was facilitator, supporter, host and midwife to many of Ireland’s finest writers of the early 20th century.
Featured in Coole Park
Featured in Lady Gregory Cultural Stop
W.B. Yeats
One of Ireland’s most famous early 20th century writers, Nobel Laureate, poet and playwright who wrote prolifically at Coole Park and Thoor Ballylee.
Featured in Coole Park
Featured in Yeat’s Medieval Tower Home
Featured in Lady Gregory Cultural Stop
Brian Merriman
18th‑century Clare bard who wrote The Midnight Court.
Featured in the Literary Clare Experience
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Cliffs of Moher
Ireland’s most iconic cliffs, rising to 214m above the Atlantic
A dramatic natural wonder of nature that is sure to inspire sensory writing
Tea Stop
Choose a warm, welcoming café in the colourful village of Doolin to stop for a cup of tea and a snack
Burren National Park
A unique limestone landscape rich in rare flora and fauna, and an inspiring landscape for all artists
Poulnabrone Dolmen
A 5,000‑year‑old portal tomb resonant of the Burren’s ancient celtic past
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Tuamgraney — Birthplace of Edna O’Brien
Edna O’Brien (1930–2024), born here, is one of Ireland’s greatest novelists and memoirists
Ennis Library and Literary Culture
Ennis is a friendly market town and home to vibrant literary events, readings and book festivals
Featured Writers Introduced on This Excursion
Edna O’Brien — author of The Country Girls; Whitney Award and David Cohen Prize; pioneering female voice
Brian Merriman — 18th‑century Clare poet, author of The Midnight Court
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Kilkee Cliff Walk
Breathtaking sea views on coastal paths with multiple route options
Vandeleur Walled Garden, Kilrush
Victorian garden restored within a woodland estate
Bridges of Ross
A dramatic sea arch on the Loop Head peninsula
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Home of Lady Augusta Gregory, dramatist, folklorist, and co‑founder of the Abbey Theatre with Yeats and Edward Martyn.
Highlights
Autograph Tree carved with the initials of Yeats, Shaw, Synge, O’Casey and many more of Ireland’s greatest historical literary figures
Seven Woods, celebrated in Yeats’ poems
Nature trails, turloughs, wetlands, walled garden
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In Gort, discover:
Lady Gregory’s immense contribution to the Irish Literary Revival
Local heritage trail linked to Yeats and the Abbey Theatre founders
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Thoor Ballylee (Yeats’s Tower)
This 15th‑century tower house was Yeats’s summer home, restored by him in 1917.
A site described by Seamus Heaney as “the most important public building in Ireland.”
Highlights
Yeats’s writing rooms
Spiral stone staircase to parapet views over a meandering woodland river
Audio‑visual exhibit on Yeats’ life and poems
Nearby river and woodland walks
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*Premium excursion, fee of 150 euros will apply
From Doolin, ferry to the smallest Aran Island:
Quiet lanes for cycling or strolling
Unique limestone landscape where Irish is still spoken
Famous Plassey shipwreck
Views back toward the Cliffs of Moher