Stories & Songs Writing Retreat in Ireland

June 4 – 9, 2027

Immersion. Intention. Imagination.

A Retreat for Writers and Songwriters like no other.

Stories & Songs is taking the writing retreat to Dingle, Ireland: the heartbeat of County Kerry. We’ll stay one night in Shannon before shuttling out to the coastal town of Dingle for four nights. During the day, the retreat offers craft workshops in writing and songwriting where you’ll sharpen your “tools” in small groups, enjoy dedicated writing time to work on a new or current project, and walkabouts to find the lunch you crave. Besides our thought provoking workshops and lively discussions, our stay at Benner’s TBD provides the perfect location in the heart of Dingle for Irish immersion, whether you spend your writing time on the cliffs of Dingle, in a nearby pub or cafe, or retreating to your room. In the evenings, we’ll either have dinner together at our hotel or release you to discover more Irish fare on your own. And, of course, we’ll practice informal pub crawls for live music and host our popular open mics.

We offer 3 workshop tracks and keep our retreats small so you get individual attention and we continue to form our supportive, diverse community. You know you’re a Storyteller if you write prose, essay, memoir, fiction, creative non-fiction (etc.). Whether you’re just starting your writing journey or a seasoned, published writer, Karen and Carolyn welcome you and your participation! You know you’re Songwriter if you tell your stories in songs; you write lyrics, melody—or both. Hit songwriter and masterclass instructor Clay Mills welcomes any level of songwriter in any genre. In fact, many participants choose the Hybrid track to embrace the cross-genre study we highlight at our retreats. We believe that side-stepping into another genre, even for one workshop, enhances and informs your chosen writing discipline. So, if you are a Storyteller who would love to write songs or a Songwriter who would love to write stories, the Hybrid track is for you.

Our spots fill quickly once the Pre-Save registration opens (now through August 15, 2026). Ready to register? Click on the button below! We’re so excited!

Pre-Save Registration

Instructors

Sample Schedule

Breakfast

8-10 AM – Enter the Day Writing/Songwriting Prompts

10:15 – 12:00 PM – Craft Workshop

12-2 PM – Lunch OYO

2-5 PM – Craft Workshop / Dedicated Time to Write

6-8 PM – Dinner / Open Mic

8 – You’re sleepy – Dingle Pub Crawl Time!

All the Ireland Retreat Details…

It’s a retreat where you can…

Immerse yourself in a mythic, creative, musical and magical landscape (Ireland in 2027!)
Count on dedicated time to write, write, write!
Feel supported in your intentions, goals and practices.
Enjoy craft discussions that provoke introspection and discussion at any level.
Receive mentorship that gives you momentum.
Escape the distractions and find the calm, true center of you, as a storyteller or songwriter.
Level up your writing and songwriting techniques.
Cross-genre study once or the whole week.
Share your creations in open mics.
Join the most supportive community you’ll ever know.

What’s included in the retreat?

When you choose the STORYTELLER TRACK: FICTION & MEMOIR, Essay, Prose…
Small Group daily workshops on writing craft, creativity, travel writing, process, and more!
Time to write, write, write! with mentored support
Packet with Enter the Day Writing prompts
1 cross-genre workshop in songwriting
Several cross-genre open mics to share with the group what you’re creating

When you choose the SONGWRITER TRACK…
Small Group daily workshops on songwriting, including melody and lyric writing, co-writing, and “writing the song in the room,” tips on writing for pleasure versus writing to pitch and more!

HYBRID TRACK – You get a mix of both workshops the entire week! A true cross-genre experience.

LODGING, FOOD AND ACCOMMODATIONS—
IRELAND
1 night’s lodging in Shannon, Ireland, with welcome dinner
4 nights’ lodging at Benner’s Hotel in Dingle, Ireland
All breakfasts
3 Dinners
Welcome reception

TRANSPORTATION & TICKETS—
NEW THIS YEAR! Ireland: Shuttle transportation to and from Shannon hotel to Dingle hotel on June 5 and 9, 2026. The shuttle will make one trip for all participants.

What’s not included?

Airfare / transportation to our arrival or retreat city.

One-on-one mentoring (available upon request)

Any food or alcohol not specified on the retreat description page. Generally, we provide a drink or drink coupon for the Welcome reception. As we often have non-alcoholic drinkers, any other alcohol during meals or outings is OYO.

What airport is the closest?

Ireland: Shannon is the closest airport.

I’m a total beginner/ experienced writer / songwriter. Is this the retreat for me?

Storyteller Track: We welcome all levels of writers to join us. Workshops will be presented “down the middle,” with room for less and more experience. We are all on a solitary journey as a writer, and we don’t measure ourselves against others (or at least we try really hard not to do that!). You’ll find a mix of writers who have been at their craft a long time, and those who are finally ready to take time for themselves. A beginner could show up and say, “These are my first words as a writer.” So, if you’re ready to dive in with us at the “Stories & Songs Retreat,” we will all celebrate you! If you’ve got a lot of craft talks under your pen, we’d love to have you join us. Most workshops include discussion, and we welcome your experience. We have all levels, including many published writers and songwriters. (Keep in mind, the mini-intensive may be a good choice if you need to buckle down on a specific project.)

Songwriter Track: Clay welcomes all levels of songwriters. Bring your most teachable self.

Can I bring a +1 to the retreat to stay in my room?

Yes, some retreats include this is an option. If you don’t see a +1 Registration link along with the regular workshop registration, please inquire via the contact page. Sometimes, because of the room set up or nature of the retreat, we cannot offer +1 opportunities. If that is the case, we encourage you to have your +1 join you before or after the retreat ends. The other option is to invite your +1 to attend as a workshop registrant! This is a wonderful opportunity to begin writing stories or songs.

What should I bring for retreat workshops?

We will have workshops, talks and dedicated writing time, along with open mics a few times during the retreat week.

STORYTELLER TRACK: Most writers write on paper AND on the computer. So, bring what you usually need to write.
If you write ONLY on a computer, make sure you have a notebook and pen or pencil. If you write on paper, bring enough open pages so you can fill them up for the week. And many pens so you don’t run out of ink. (Carolyn, who is never without “ink backup,” actually did run out of ink when she spent a month in Ireland last year and had to go buy a whole new set of pens — she wrote that much!)
Besides the basics, we hope you’ll bring your curiosity, open mind, and good humor, so we can fully tap into your creativity.

SONGWRITER TRACK: We will have a dedicated writing time every morning, and then, a workshop in the afternoon…or maybe vice versa. I will have a guitar. There is a piano in one of the meeting areas. We can’t promise it’s in tune, but we’ll try! You could bring a guitar, ukulele, or a writing notebook if you are “lyrics only.” We will break into small groups for co-writing exercises from time to time. However, keep in mind, there won’t be guitars to borrow or guaranteed places to plug in electronic instruments. If you compose or write lyrics only on your computer, make sure you have a notebook and pencil or pen.
Bring your Muse as well!
~Clay Mills

Will I have leisure time?

You will. Relaxation, stillness, and solitude are part of sinking into the experience.

We also want you to come with a commitment to your writing. You will receive mentoring and support around how to structure your dedicated writing time.

If your true aim, though, is to see our retreat location, designate that time on the front end or back end of the retreat.
This is our invitation to you to invest in yourself, your creativity, and your writing.
~Clay Mills

Craft Talks

Carolyn’s Workshops Include: The Thin Places, how to find the most original and magical place from which to start your creative process or start your next scene; Nature, Myth, Music and Landscape, how setting matters, a talk on adding atmosphere and texture to your writing, with a small tour of nature writing; Sixteen Superpowers of Courageous Writers, for memoirists, novelists, essayist and literary short story writers, a talk filled with techniques that will make a difference in your writing. The Art of the Essay, how to make anything have meaning in just 1,000 words, whether you’re writing lyric essays, personal essays, Substack essays or a memoir-in-essays.

Karen’s Workshops Include: Place, Space & Epiphany – Slow Down and Write Your Travels, Designing Your Writing Practice, Drawing Inspiration from the Extraordinary and the Ordinary, Narrative 4 Story Exchange, The Art of Compression, Refining Your Voice, The Ingredients of a Short Story, and more.

Clay’s Worshops Include: The Art of Creative Contrast, Co-writing, Out Writing AI, Song Feedback, Songwriting & The Power of Three, Writing More Musical Lyrics, and more.

Registration

$3995 – July 4 – August 15, 2026 – Pre-Save Registration (limited # in stock) locks in best rate

$4295 – August 16 – Sept 30, 2026 – Super Early Bird Registration

$4595 – October 1 – November 15, 2026 – Early Bird Registration

$4995 – After November 15, 2026 – Standard Registration

Discounts Available:

*Special Pre-Save Registration – $300 off Super Early Bird

*After August 15, 2026 – Alumni – SongTown – Spalding $250 Discount (Limited availability, 1 per person)

PRE-SAVE

$350 refundable deposit thru August 15, 2026

Saves your spot for the lowest registration fee
Savings: $300 off Super Early Bird and $1000 off Standard Registration
Locks in the Special Pre-Save Rate: $3,995
Fully refundable thru August 15, 2026.
After August 15, you will pay in full or begin monthly payments. At this point, your $350 deposit becomes non-refundable
5 nights/6 days

$350 deposit

SUPER EARLY BIRD

$995 deposit thru September 30, 2026

Savings: $300 off Early Bird and $700 off Standard Registration
Locks in Super Early Bird Rate: $4,295
Deposit is non-refundable
At registration, if you choose to pay in full ($4,295), you’ll receive our Workshop Leader gift set
Or, you will receive monthly invoices for the remainder or your registration.

$995 deposit

EARLY BIRD

$995 deposit thru November 15, 2026

Savings: $400 off Standard Registration
Locks in Early Bird Rate: $4,595
Deposit is non-refundable
At registration, if you choose to pay in full ($4,595), you’ll receive our Workshop Leader gift set
Or, you will receive monthly invoices for the remainder or your registration.

$995 deposit