Retreat Details &

Important Information

Please read this page in its entirety before you complete your Ireland Retreat application.

COST DETAILS

The cost of the trip is $3700, or $6800 for two people applying together. This represents a total discount of $600 for two people applying together - and you don't have to be a couple! Friends & family members of any permutation are welcome to apply together and the discount will apply. Payment plans are available to spread the cost over up to twelve months.

Your registration covers:

  • The services of our administrators, guides and retreat leaders, support team, and guests from the world of arts, spirituality, politics and peacemaking.

  • Four nights accommodation in renovated historic cottages or a renovated historic mill in the Mourne Mountains, kitchens specially stocked with traditional Irish breakfast foods.

  • Four nights accommodation in a retreat center housed in the grounds of Lorne House, a converted country house on the outskirts of Belfast, right on the coast, and traditional Irish breakfast served each day.

  • Lunch or dinner most days.

  • Transport from Dublin airport or local train or bus station to accommodation, and on organized trips throughout the tour.

  • All admission fees on organized trips to sites such as cultural centers, museums, etc.

  • The use of all accommodation facilities including lounges, gardens, etc.

  • A life-changing experience of spirit, imagination, and community.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE - please note that while the payment schedule below is our preferred method, you can spread the cost over up to twelve months, if that will help make it possible for you to join us. Just contact us for details.

Deposit
Due upon application: $550 per person

First Installment
$1575 per person (or $1425 per person if applying jointly with someone else.)

Due Dates:

  • June 20th-27th: Over the Rhine - First Installment Due December 15, 2024

  • July 7th-14th: Kathleen Norris - First Installment Due January 15, 2025

  • August 7th-14th: David Wilcox - First Installment Due February 15, 2025

  • September 8th-15th: Diana Butler Bass - First Installment Due March 15, 2025

Second and Final Installment
$1575 per person (or $1425 per person if applying jointly with someone else.)

Due Dates:

  • June 20th-27th: Over the Rhine - Second Installment Due March 15, 2025

  • July 7th-14th: Kathleen Norris - Second Installment Due April 15, 2025

  • August 7th-14th: David Wilcox - Second Installment Due May 15, 2025

  • September 8th-15th: Diana Butler Bass - Second Installment Due June 15, 2025

Or you can pay In full on confirmation of your place; and please also note that we can offer installment plans over a longer period if necessary - just contact us to learn more.  

The deposit is nonrefundable unless the retreat is cancelled or rescheduled (and of course if your application is not selected for the retreat any reason we will refund your deposit); remaining installments are 50% refundable up to 120 days before the retreat begins; after that any refund will depend on someone else taking your place on the retreat, or you can request to join us on an Ireland retreat within twelve months, where your installments minus the deposit will be credited to the fee for that retreat.

APPLICATION PROCESS

  • Submit this application with your deposit, and we'll review it and get our decision to you as soon as possible.

  • Upon acceptance, we'll send you an invoice for your remaining installments on the time-frame outlined above. You can pay this via check or credit card; if paying by credit card a 3.5% processing fee is added by our credit card processor.

  • Once we have confirmed your place on the retreat we will communicate further details so that you can begin planning your trip!

  • The remaining balance will be due by the dates outlined above (different payment plans may be available to spread the cost over a longer period - please ask for more details).

  • We'll look forward to your presence with us in northern Ireland in 2025!

    Remember - if you register with a friend or family member we reduce the cost by a total of $600. When two people register together, you can join us for $6800 total ($3400 per person). The deposit remains $550 per person, with each of the remaining two installments reduced to $1425 per person.

ALL THE DETAILS...

Transportation
We recommend flying into Dublin Airport. Retreat guests will be picked up at Dublin airport in one pick up on the day the retreat begins. Alternatively you can make your own way to a train or bus station near to the retreat accommodation, easily accessible from throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland - we will provide further information after your application has been approved. Please do not book flights until after you have read the information packet that will come with confirmation of your place on the retreat.

Accommodation
We have developed a wonderful relationship with our accommodation hosts over almost a decade of leading Ireland Retreats. The historic cottages and converted mill in Kilkeel are surrounded by the Mountains of Mourne. The nearby scenery is spectacular, and the environment of the cottages and mill is quiet and welcoming. After four nights in Kilkeel, we move closer to Belfast, to Lorne Estate, with simple retreat-style accommodations built around a converted country house, a very short walk from the shore of Belfast Lough. We love staying there, and hope you will too.

Single Rooms
Rooms are shared with one or (in rare circumstances) two other persons, but we are sometimes able to offer single rooms for a $500 supplement. Please let us know if you would like to request a single room; we aim to let you know if one is available by one month before the trip begins; we will only charge the $500 supplement if we can confirm a single room for you. Please note that older Irish cottages do not have en suite bathrooms.

Cancellation Policy
The deposit is nonrefundable unless the retreat is cancelled or rescheduled; remaining installments are 50% refundable up to 120 days before the retreat begins; after that any refund will depend on someone else taking your place on the retreat, or you can request to join us on an Ireland retreat within twelve months, where your installments minus the deposit will be credited to the fee for that retreat.

Trip Insurance
We strongly recommend you take out comprehensive travel insurance that includes insurance in the event of your having to cancel. We will do our best to create a welcoming and safe environment but of course we cannot take any responsibility for loss, damage, or injury on the trip.

Walking & Hiking
Some walking is an integral - although not intensive - part of our trip, and while our walks are not very strenuous, they can be challenging. If you have any questions contact us to discuss the walks before applying for the trip. It does not require extensive experience, but will be at least moderately demanding, though exponentially rewarding! Comfortable walking shoes, an open heart, and a willingness to have your stamina stretched (a bit!) are invited…

Meals
Breakfast is provided each day, with either lunch or dinner on most days as well. You will be responsible for either lunch or dinner each day (on some days during the trip we will provide both lunch and dinner, and one or two other days you will be responsible for both lunch and dinner, but it tends to balance out!). We will always ensure you are near good and inexpensive restaurants for these meals. Meals that we share as a group will be homemade buffet style or generous packed lunches, depending on the schedule on a particular day. We are often joined by marvelous cooks, and we invite everyone to share in the preparation of meals and cleanup as a fun and creative way of building community.

Arrival
We pick up our retreat guests from Dublin airport around 2pm on the day the retreat begins, and we recommend arriving the day before so you can be rested for the beginning of our time together, adjusting for the time difference, jet lag, etc. You are also welcome to make your own way to the retreat cottages for check in between 4-6pm on that day.

If flying to Dublin Airport and arriving on the day of the retreat beginning, please time your flight to arrive by 12.30pm on the day the retreat begins. We are happy to advise on accommodation options and itineraries before or after the retreat. We will send specific details closer to the time. Please note that if you're arriving a day or two early, you'll not be able to stay in our accommodations––we recommend booking a hotel in Dublin or Belfast City Centre.

Currency & Money
Bring at least $30 per day for a meal, drinks, etc. ATMs are as widely available as in the US, and credit cards are accepted almost everywhere. The retreat takes place entirely in northern Ireland, which uses the UK Pound Sterling. Please note that the currency in the Republic of Ireland is the Euro - but UK sterling is accepted in Dublin airport.

Departure
We depart our accommodation on the morning of the last day of our retreat, when we will be about 90 minutes from Dublin airport, 20 minutes to Belfast City Airport, and 40 minutes to Belfast International Airport. We will provide one bus to Dublin airport included in your registration fee, and will gladly assist with other travel arrangements as necessary.

Recommended check in time for international flights is three hours ahead of departure. Please schedule your departing flight no earlier than 12:30pm if possible. We can accommodate earlier departures, but this will require a taxi at your own expense. We will need to depart our accommodation by 11am.

Passport & Visa
Each participant needs a valid passport, but no Visa is currently required for U.S. Citizens traveling to Ireland or the United Kingdom.

A FINAL NOTE FROM OUR HOSTS...

This experience is very different from what might be typically understood as a traditional retreat. While there will be space for quiet reflection, we will be engaged in conversation and meeting folks whose stories sometimes make challenging listening. We take seriously the pain and struggle of the northern Irish story, but also the hopeful endeavors toward a more peaceful society. We also aim to create a warm and inclusive environment, and and we welcome and seek to celebrate adults of all ages, genders, races, sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities, and educational backgrounds, rejecting discrimination based on any historically marginalized category. 

Painful histories mingle with the surprise of new things, exquisite natural surroundings, food and drink and sounds that nourish the soul. There may be tears, but there will certainly also be laughter. There may be struggle, but also inspiration. It is one of the privileges and delights of our life to welcome you to Gareth's home, and to share in this gathering. We invite you to allow the stories, people, and landscape to speak to you about how your own life might become more peaceful, and help others on that same journey. We look forward to meeting you! - Gareth Higgins & Brian Ammons

IN ADDITION TO OUR SCHEDULED RETREATS, WE ALSO SOMETIMES OFFER RETREATS TO FOLKS WHO WISH TO TRAVEL TOGETHER AS A GROUP. If you can gather a minimum of ten people, contact us to discuss the possibility - we’d be delighted to hear from you.

  • “ A recent participant wrote to us after our retreat, saying it was “…one of the most profound spiritual journeys I have ever undertaken, in the delightful company of deep spirited and utterly engaging fellow travelers. At the right time in the right way, it has changed my life…” ”
  • “ “…a fabulous opportunity to experience the physical beauty, the political culture and history and the warm, friendly people of Ireland. An opportunity to slow down, reflect and connect with interesting, diverse people in substantive, heart-level ways…” ”
  • “ “…a unique experience…to journey with total strangers through the beautiful city and countryside, learning about conflict and peace both in the healing of Ireland and our own internal search for peace. With storytelling, poetry, mysticism to round out a life-changing adventure while developing lifelong friendships.” ”