REEL RETREAT
FIVE DAYS OF MUSIC, PLACE AND COMMUNITY.
Reel Retreat is a small-group residential Irish traditional music experience set among the mountains, coast and communities of County Down.
Created for adults who want to do more than simply listen to Irish music, it is a few days to learn, play, share tunes and experience the places and stories that surround the tradition.
Learn it. Play it. Share it. Experience the place it comes from.
2027 · THE MOURNES, COUNTY DOWN · MAXIMUM 20 GUESTS
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LIVE INSIDE THE MUSIC FOR A FEW DAYS.
Reel Retreat brings a small group of music lovers together with Irish traditional musicians for five days of tuition, sessions, concerts, stories and shared experiences.
Days are spent learning and playing. Evenings take you into sessions, performances and the local music community, with time in between to enjoy the mountains, coast, food and company.
The pace is deliberately relaxed. The idea is not to rush through Ireland, but to settle into one place long enough to become part of what is happening there.
LEARN
Small-group tuition with Brendan McCreanor and guest musicians, shaped around the ability and experience of the people taking part.
PLAY
Sessions are part of the retreat from the beginning, helping participants become more confident playing with other musicians rather than simply learning tunes in isolation.
EXPERIENCE
Concerts, sessions, storytelling, folklore and cultural experiences connect the music to the landscape and communities around it.
THE MOURNES
The Mournes provide an extraordinary setting for the retreat: mountains running towards the Irish Sea, small towns and villages, traditional pubs and a landscape that has inspired generations of writers, musicians and storytellers.
During the week, we will explore some of the cultural stories connected to the area—from the landscape immortalised in “The Mountains of Mourne” to nearby Rostrevor and the scenery associated with C.S. Lewis and Narnia.
But the Mournes are not simply somewhere we visit between workshops. They become part of the retreat itself.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
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Four nights' accommodation
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Meals throughout the retreat
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Five days of workshops, sessions and musical experiences
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Tuition with Brendan McCreanor and guest musicians
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Evening concerts and sessions
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Storytelling and cultural experiences
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Local excursions within the programme
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Transport to programmed activities
Land-only experience. International flights are not included.
MORE THAN A MUSIC COURSE
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AN EXPERT
You will learn plenty of music, but Reel Retreat is not built around spending five days in a classroom.
The sessions, meals, journeys, conversations and evenings together are as much a part of the experience as the workshops themselves.
The aim is to leave with new tunes and skills—but also new people to play them with.
Reel Retreat is designed for adults who love Irish music.
Some will already be comfortable playing in sessions. Others may be newer to their instrument or simply want the confidence to start playing music with other people.
The small group allows the teaching and musical experience to be shaped around the people who are actually there.
REEL RETREAT 2027
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Producing events. Developing artists. Creating journeys. All through music.