Lampworking in Ireland

Andrea Guarino-Slemmons

September 8 - 16, 2011

Galway • Mayo Ireland

Join internationally-aclaimed lampworker Andrea Guarino-Slemmons in Ireland for a three day workshop that will expand your creativity. Andrea is working on a project special for this Beadventure and details will be posted soon.

Itinerary

Day 1. Thursday, September 8. Arrive in Galway.
The tour starts in Galway on the west coast of Ireland. You can reach Galway city easily from Shannon Airport by taking one of the many airport buses to the city center. It takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes to reach the bus terminal in Galway and the hotel, the Park House Hotel, is right across the street as you exit the terminal. This will be the back entrance to the hotel, but it is clearly marked. Here you will have a room booked in your name along with your chosen roommate, unless you have requested the single supplement.

If you are coming from Dublin, there are several buses and trains a day for the 3.5 hours journey. The trains leave from Heuston train station (there are 2 train stations in Dublin). The hotel is less than one block from the train station—just around the corner on Forster Street to the right of Eyre Square as you exit the station.

Galway is a very pedestrian friendly city and you are free for the rest of the day to explore the old city center on your own (or take a nap after your long journey). The group will meet back in the hotel lobby at 6 pm for a welcome meal at a local restaurant. (Dinner included)

Day 2. Friday, September 9. Travel to County Mayo.
After an optional Red Bus City tour, we will travel by bus to Castlebar in County Mayo where we will be met by a private bus to take us on the last leg of the journey to the Heather Rise House. You will arrive mid-afternoon, in time for a walk down to the beach and general orientation to the area where we will spend the next week. (Breakfast, dinner included)

Days 3 - 7. Saturday, September 10 – Wednesday, September 14. Workshop and tour of Western Ireland.
Classroom sessions (3 workshops days), local tours and open studio time is planned. Andrea will be posting information about her classroom project soon so check back!

Weather permitting, there are great walks and bike rides in the area. The views of the mountains, sea and sky from the residence are beautiful in an altogether relaxing and mesmerizing environment. Opportunities include a visit to Achill Island and a drive along the dramatic Atlantic coastline; a walk up to a Megalithic tomb on the slopes of Slievemore Mountain to explore the old forgotten roads of the Deserted Village nearby.

One option will be climbing the spiral staircase of Granuaille’s tower house castle and photograph the old stone walls and crosses of the 14th century Burrischoole Abbey ruins; enjoying an afternoon in Westport, a quaint town with shops for every taste; and time permitting, a visit the Country Life Museum where you will be amazed at the ingenuity used to survive hardships in times past. (Breakfast and Dinner all days; lunches on workshop days.

Day 8. Thursday, September 15. Return to Galway.
We will return to Galway and the Park House Hotel by bus, driving through magnificent Connemara scenery. Drive past lakes and steep green hills, open bog lands with grazing sheep on the mountain slopes. Stop for lunch at Leenane situated at the head of Ireland’s longest fiord or Kylemore Abbey, and continue the drive on the scenic roads to the city of Galway.

After the farewell dinner on the last night, you are free to attend any of a number of musical pubs to hear traditional Irish musicians at their finest. These lively sessions are a great way to end the tour together, but be warned, they start and end late and your feet will want to be tapping the whole night long! (Breakfast and dinner included)

Day 9. Friday, September 16. Depart.
Frequent buses will take you back to Shannon airport for your return flight. You also have the option to stay on another day or two on your own and enjoy some of the tours offered from Galway.

Further Galway travel options:
The Aran Islands, the Burren, and/or the Cliffs of Moher. Any of these trips can be easily booked while you are in Galway as the tourist office is next door to the hotel. The only thing you will need to do is make arrangements for your extra stay at the hotel if you choose to stay on.

About Andrea . . .
Andrea Guarino-Slemmons has devoted her whole working life to the glass arts. She started with stained glass while in her teens but she felt the medium was too constraining. Fused glass was her next choice, but while using a torch to make odd shaped glass pieces and stringers to decorate her pieces, she fell in love with lampworking.

That was fourteen years ago and she has been making art glass beads full time ever since.

The complexity of her beads has evolved with her experience and the availability of new materials and colors. Andrea loves working with metal foils and leaf and various chemicals to create reactions in glass. To find a new color that reacts is a joy.

Andrea makes a wide range of bead styles and sizes and is continually working on new designs. Lapidadry equipment is used to create her special faceted beads. She shows her work in two or three major shows and teaches both in her state-of-the-art glass bead making studio in Port Townsend or across the country. She also has taught in Denmark, Australia, Japan, Italy, Austria, Turkey, and Switzerland.

View Andrea's beautiful work on her website.

Trip Cost

$2,500 US Dollars.
Cost for a guest not taking the workshop is $2,000.

Includes: Accommodations for 8 nights; all breakfasts, dinners and four lunches; bus tours in Mayo and Galway; entry fees to sites; and workshop tuition.

At the residence in County Mayo (Essence of Mulranny), you will have a private room with some possible sharing of bathrooms; there are hairdryers and internet (wireless) available.
Single supplement in Galway is an additional $150 USD.

Meals are prepared on site and any dietary needs can be catered to with please (be certain to let us know).

Does Not Include: Airfare to Ireland; bus or train transport to Galway city where tour begins; four lunches when not at residence; and workshop roject supplies.