Knitting Tour | Northern Ireland & Donegal

Welcome to Belfast where the Craic is Ninety!  We’ll start our exploration of Northern Ireland with arrival in its capital city: Belfast. In the years since The Troubles, Belfast has experienced a true renaissance. It’s now the home of a thriving music, art and culture scene. We’ll gather for a welcome meeting then head out for dinner in one of its most celebrated restaurants. Weary travelers can settle in for an early night as needed; adventurous souls can head out for some lively pub sessions!

Sourced from the flax plant, linen is prized for its structured weave, strength and amazing hand (feel of the fabric). To this day, Irish linen of the Industrial Age is the standard by which all linen textiles are judged. The majority of that linen was produced in Ireland’s north. By the 18th century, the city of Belfast was known as “Linenopolis”. As the collecting and shipping point for the highly sought after textiles, Belfast was home to numerous mills, factories, warehouses and finishing houses. The linen industry drove the city’s population from less than 30,000 people in 1808 to almost half a million by WWI. For a full immersion into all things flax and linen, we’re heading to the nearby town of Lisburn for a day at the Irish Linen Centre. The Centre’s fantastic exhibits relay the history of the material, from its earliest uses in Egypt (linen is our oldest woven fabric) to its current status as a luxury textile. We’ll also get to spend time side by side with the Centre’s staff, learning to spin on a traditional flax wheel and learning about conservation techniques used in current preservation efforts.

Let’s get to know Belfast today. City Hall, the Titanic Museum, Cathedral Quarter, a traditional afternoon tea atop The Grand Central Hotel – we’ll visit as widely as time, the weather and our own energy levels will allow! Hang on to your hats… and away we go!

Enough with the big city. Let’s get out into the countryside! Today we depart from Belfast and wander our way along the Antrim Coast and Glens, an AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) along the Atlantic. Highrises and freeways will give way to rolling green hills and beach villages. We’ll stop and explore as we wend our way along this iconic North Coast byway. By late afternoon, we’ll have arrived in our new accommodations above the town of Ballycastle. Gin and tonic on the front patio anyone? We’ll settle in and watch the sun set over the town, marina and ocean below us.

This morning we’re up and out the door right after breakfast in order to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site and national nature reserve, The Giant’s Causeway. This extraordinary landscape of interlocking hexagonal basalt columns is the product of an ancient volcanic fissure. It’s now a fantastic place to wander, hopping from column to column at the sea’s edge. Next we’re headed inland for a very special visit with Emma Robison of Woolly Mammoth Fiber Company. Emma invites us to her home in Ballybofey for a look at her new studio, a discussion around her efforts to create small batch, breed specific and nylon-free yarns, a peruse among her beautifully dyed wares and a pleasurable dive into a batch of her homemade nibblies. As we drive back to Ballycastle, we’ll stop to have a wander in The Dark Hedges. A traditional fish ‘n’ chips dinner quayside will finish up our day.

Onward we go to Derry – or Londonderry, as it is also called. You might be familiar with the city based on the cult-favorite show “Derry Girls” or its history as a center of protest and political strife during The Troubles. But Derry is filled with rich history, from the building of its medieval city walls to its newest public art and terrific music scene. We’ll get to know Derry with a dander (wander) through the town with our favorite local guide. We’ll also have time for a bit of shopping and lunch in the center of town. (We recommend stopping in at the Craft Village on Shipquay Street. What a delight!) Afternoon will find us in a knitting workshop with Irish knitter, designer and teacher extraordinaire, Edel MacBride. After our time with Edel, we’ll continue on our journey west, arriving in time for check in and dinner at our accommodations in Donegal Town.

Mountains that spill down to the ocean, sheep-filled expanses of green, tiny towns and villages, secret beaches and traditional Irish tweed… welcome to County Donegal! Our home base for the next two days is Donegal Town, the regional hub. Our first morning, we’re hugging the coast westward, along the Wild Atlantic Way, to visit the home of the most well-known traditional weaving house in the area, Studio Donegal. Located right next to Donegal Yarns, the folks at Studio Donegal keep up the tradition of hand-loomed textile production for which the region is famous. You’ll meet the owners, enjoy their immense store of knowledge and hear about efforts to get Donegal Tweed its own official brand recognition and restrictions. Ready to hop into the mill next door and see how nubby Irish yarn is made? Donegal Yarns will welcome us in for a tour of their facility. Then it’s time for a traditional pub lunch at our favorite place along the coast, The Rusty Mackerel. And after? Weather permitting, we’ll take a walk up at the famous Slieve League mountains or make our way over to the village of Glencolmkillie for a visit to the Folk Village there. We might also stop for a beachside stroll at any of the wonderful inlets and bays along the coast as we wend our way back to Donegal Town for the night.

There is more coastline to explore, more tweed to enjoy and more miles of twisting, tiny Donegal roads to travel! We’ll spend a morning in the village of Ardara, where Triona Donegal Tweed Centre awaits and the folks at Sliabh Liag Distillery welcome us with a tour and tasting of their delightful libations. We’ll also explore the shops, walks, architecture and hidden coves along a few more miles of the Wild Atlantic Way before heading back to Donegal Town. Might there be a sheep or two worth stopping for along the way? A neolithic tomb? Perhaps a white sand beach or two? Of course, so there will be…

Today we bid farewell to the Atlantic coast and begin our journey eastward, toward Dublin. Get out your knitting for the bus ride! But it won’t all be roads and return… Halfway across the country, we’ll stop in to visit our friend Sandra Coote at Crafts of Ireland. C of I is part farm, part museum, part working studio, part tea house and a whole lot of fun. We’ll enjoy an amazing lunch plus get to peruse her collection of antique craft equipment. Her farm is home to a flock of Roscommon sheep, one of the only native Irish sheep breeds. It’s a perfectly fibertastic way to spend our last afternoon in Ireland. Another hour’s drive will have us in Dublin. After checking into our city center hotel, we’ll walk to one of Rowan Tree Travel’s favorite Dublin restaurants for a final, celebratory dinner. Still have energy after that? Head out to the Temple Bar District for a pint and music sessions!

After a relaxed breakfast, travelers will head to Dublin Airport for flights home or on to further adventures. It’s been lovely spending time with you in Ireland, so it has. Slán abhaile! (Safe home!)