Anam Cara Writer's and Artist's Retreat is a project in the village of

Eyeries Eyeries (historically spelt as it is pronounced, ''Irees'' or ''Iries''; ) is a village and its hinterland, on the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland, near the border with County Kerry. It lies at the foot of a hilly area, with a beach ne ...

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, which provides accommodation and a supportive environment for writers and other creative workers to develop their ideas. It was founded in 1998, and has hosted more than a thousand writers, artists, composers and choreographers since then.

History

The retreat centre is owned and directed by

Sue Booth-Forbes Susan Booth-Forbes (formerly Paxman, née Larson), is an American-Irish teacher, writer and literary editor. She was a co-founder of the progressive Mormon women's journal Exponent II, from 1974, and its longest-serving editor, from 1984 to 199 ...

, a teacher, writer, editor and coach, who describes her work with writers, for example, as that of a "literary midwife." Booth-Forbes, an Arts and Politics graduate of

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

, also qualified as a teacher, and worked teaching English at high school level, later holding several editorial positions, including with the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press A university press is an academic publishing hou ...

and, from 1984 to 1997, as Editor of the Mormon women's magazine ''

Exponent II Exponent II is a quarterly periodical, the longest-running independent publication for Latter-day Saint women. At its launch, by a women's group in Massachusetts in 1974, it described itself as a "spiritual descendent" of the ''Woman's Exponent' ...

'', for which she had written since its foundation. Having led multiple retreats in the US, and a prolonged literary retreat with friends in

Connemara Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speak ...

, Booth-Forbes decided to seek a new base in

, and then decided to launch a residential creative retreat location. In November–December 1997 she searched with her daughter, and, after a hint from an academic writer friend, Claudia Harris, in December 1997 purchased a property in the small and remote village of

, on the West Cork part of the

Beara Peninsula Beara ( ga, Béarra) or the Beara Peninsula is a peninsula on the south-west coast of Ireland, bounded between the Kenmare "river" (actually a bay) to the north side and Bantry Bay to the south. It contains two mountain ranges running down it ...

. This was launched as the Anam Cara Writers Retreat in summer 1998. The retreat name, which means "soul friend," was chosen partly to pay tribute to the works of

John O'Donohue John O'Donohue (1 January 1956 – 4 January 2008) was an Irish poet, author, priest, and Hegelian philosopher. He was a native Irish speaker, and as an author is best known for popularising Celtic spirituality. Early life and education Eld ...

. Over the more than twenty years, over 1,000 creative guests - writers, composers, choreographers, visual artists - have visited, leaving more than 500 works on the shelves and walls in the common areas of the house. Many guests have commented on the benefits of the retreat, and several have included dedications to its director in their issued work. Several have visited multiple times, one on more than a dozen occasions, and at least one has also moved to the Beara peninsula.

Facilities and operations

The retreat house comprises a set of private rooms, and a number of common spaces, with a library in addition to books in most rooms, and extensive quiet grounds. Within the grounds a wide range of private working locations have been developed, in garden settings, by a duck pond, and on a landscaped river bank, as well as relaxation aids such as a labyrinth, meditation huts, and an accessible island within the small river. There is also a sauna, and a hot tub where guests and retreat leaders can relax and discuss work in progress. Parking is available but guests are encouraged to avoid the distraction of driving, and having remained offline for many years, there is wireless internet for visitors who need it. The location can be reached by a daily private bus from Cork city. Anam Cara offers two broad types of retreat: guided and self-directed. The guided workshops, usually hosted by 1-2 coaches or teachers, cover a wide range of topics, and occupy several weeks each year. For the rest of the year, creative guests can develop their own work, aided by discussions with the retreat's director, and with fellow guests. In these retreat periods, the house operates on a silent regime from after breakfast to dinner time. It has been commented that guests sometimes come to work on one art, and shift to another, and that some guests continue cooperation after their visits. Prospective guests are asked to send a summary of their proposed project, but even beginning writers and artists are welcome, in contrast to some more formal retreat centres, which target, for example, a track record of published or displayed work.

Artistic competitions, events and publication

The retreat has sponsored competitions for many years, with prizes including free visits to the facility. The location also hosts a range of events. Some of the competitions and events raise funds for charity. The retreat has published a book, in aid of

Pieta House Joan Freeman (; born 2 April 1958) is an Irish psychologist, mental health activist and an Independent politician who served as a Senator from 2016 to 2020, after being nominated by the then Taoiseach, Enda Kenny. She is the founder of Pieta Hou ...

, ''Diving into the Mystery: Studies in the Creative Process''.

Recognition and guests

Aside from endorsements by guests, listed as a top five retreat by Canada's Globe and Mail, as well as in articles in the Irish Times, and magazines in England and Wales. As a private establishment, the retreat does not publish data on guests but some who have commented on their experiences include

Nessa O'Mahony Nessa O’Mahony is an Irish poet and a freelance teacher and writer. Life and work Born in Dublin, she was educated in St Louis High School, Rathmines before going on to University College Dublin to study English. She was a recipient of the M ...

, former US Poet Laureate

Billy Collins William James Collins (born March 22, 1941) is an American poet, appointed as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. He is a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York (retired, 2016). Collins ...

Alex Barclay Yve Williams, née Morris, who writes under the name Alex Barclay (born Bayside, Dublin, Ireland in 1974), is an Irish journalist and crime writer. Life Early life Morris was born in Bayside, Dublin, and attended Bayside National School follow ...

, Man Booker Award finalist

Jhumpa Lahiri Nilanjana Sudeshna "Jhumpa" LahiriMinzesheimer, Bob ''USA Today'', August 19, 2003. Retrieved on 2008-04-13. (born July 11, 1967) is an American author known for her short stories, novels and essays in English, and, more recently, in Italia ...

, celebrity chef Gerry Galvin,

Bernard O'Donoghue Bernard O'Donoghue FRSL (born 1945) is a contemporary Irish poet and academic. Early life and education Bernard O'Donoghue was born on 14 December 1945 in Cullen, County Cork, Ireland, where he lived on a farm. “My father was a terrible and r ...

Leanne O'Sullivan Leanne O'Sullivan is a poet from the Beara Peninsula in Cork, Ireland. She is the author of three collections of poetry. Writing career O'Sullivan's first collection of poetry, ''Waiting for my Clothes'' (2004), was published by Bloodaxe Book ...

, Sassa Buregren,

Ulf Lindström Ulf Lindström (born 12 November 1947) is a Swedish theoretical physicist working in the fields of string theory, supersymmetry, and general relativity. He earned his fil. kand. university degree at Stockholm University in 1972 and continued un ...

and Réaltán Ní Leannáin.

References

External links