An Art and Spirit journey through the holy wells of Mayo

Evoking the mysticism of Brigid as both saint and goddess
Patron of creativity, healing, and Ireland’s holy wells.
This retreat explores the sacred balance of elemental forces, connecting deeply with the divine feminine through art, storytelling, creativity, and sacred landscapes.

Who This Is For:

Artists, writers, seekers, and creatives of all levels interested in:

Mythology, spirituality, and Irish landscape
Personal storytelling through art
Connecting to ancestral, ecological, and intuitive wisdom

Through overlapping colors, textures, and imagery, the painting evokes the sense of an inner landscape—part myth, part memory—where identity is shaped by both nature and imagination

WhatsApp Image 2025-08-18 at 12.56.12.jpeg

Where Fire and Water Meet:
A Journey into Art, Ancestry, and the Sacred Feminine

Set on the wild Atlantic coast of Mulranny, this retreat invites you to step into a creative pilgrimage where art, myth, and landscape meet. Over the course of our time together, you will:

Visit local holy wells and sacred sites, places long associated with healing, blessing, and the Divine Feminine.
Engage in daily art sessions led by Lora Murphy, working with encaustic, mixed media, and intuitive practices that weave fire (the alchemy of wax and flame) with water (flow, renewal, and spirit).
Explore Celtic myths and ancestral traditions, opening to the stories and symbols that continue to shape the Irish soul.
Connect with nature through mindful walks along the seashore, quiet moments at ancient sites, and the elemental beauty of Mulranny’s mountains and tides.
Share in circle and reflection, creating a space for personal insight, community, and the awakening of the Sacred Feminine within and around us.

This retreat is both a journey inward and outward—a chance to create, to remember, and to reconnect with the elemental forces of fire and water, art and spirit, earth and ancestry.

Come for the art, stay for the adventure, and leave with a renewed sense of artistic freedom and creative joy!

Join Us in Mulranny

Journey with Lora

Lora Murphy is an internationally recognized artist, teacher, and retreat leader whose work is deeply rooted in myth, place, and spirit. Best known for her luminous encaustic paintings and portraiture, Lora weaves together ancient techniques with contemporary expression to create art that feels both timeless and alive.

Born in Ireland and widely traveled, Lora brings a unique perspective to her teaching—honoring her Celtic heritage while embracing global influences. She has exhibited and taught across Europe, Nepal, Egypt and Vietnam as well as North America, and her workshops are celebrated for blending technical skill with soulful exploration.

As the founder of Painting with Fire, an international online program dedicated to the encaustic arts, Lora has guided thousands of artists in expanding their creative practice. Her retreats in Ireland invite participants to step beyond the studio and into the landscape itself, drawing inspiration from the country’s sacred sites, folklore, and natural beauty.

At this retreat, Lora will lead you through a creative journey that connects art-making with the ancient rhythms of Ireland’s mythic landscape. With her guidance, you’ll experience not only new artistic techniques, but also a deeper sense of belonging to the stories, symbols, and sacred places that continue to shape Ireland’s spirit.

Lora is an artist whose work flows between worlds—the visible and the unseen, the ancient and the newly imagined. Rooted in the landscapes and legends of her native Ireland, she creates luminous encaustic paintings that feel like whispers from another time. Her teaching carries the same spirit, inviting each person to step into their own creative essence with courage, wonder, and delight.

Through her years of guiding artists across the world, Lora has become known not only for her skill, but for her gift of holding space where transformation can unfold. She listens deeply, teaches with heart, and walks beside her students as both mentor and companion.

On this retreat, Lora will lead you into Ireland’s sacred sites as living portals of inspiration. Here, stone circles, cairns, and holy wells become more than places on a map—they become companions in your creative journey. With Lora’s gentle guidance, you will paint, dream, and open to the mystery of these landscapes, allowing the ancient spirit of Ireland to move through your hands and into your art.

From Our Host Lora

You are warmly invited to stay a while.

We invite you to imagine standing on the panoramic hillside of our studio, taking in the spectacular views of Clew bay and Croagh Patrick (Ireland’s holy mountain).

Open your heart to the profoundly moving drama of constantly shifting Atlantic skies, reflecting an ever changing light show on the bay. The wildness and drama of this spectacular area belie the peace and connection you will feel to Ireland and to this very special place.

Lay on a blanket in the heather and watch the stars emerge on a clear night or walk along the rocky shores, to gather shells, driftwood and memories. Find yourself letting go of the stress of everyday life, feel the mystery and beauty of this land, awakening your senses.

This unspoiled place provide a safe place of inspiration and experimentation to stretch your skills in whatever medium you are working on, in an amazing state of the art studio..

Secure Your Spot

Join us in Mulranny, Ireland.

Dream about the history of past times, evident in every field with old stone walls, every stoic castle and each abandoned cottage.

Local Villages

Meet the local people, warm, friendly and always happy to chat and share a story or a cup of tea. While you're here, take some time to explore the charming village of Westport, where you can shop at the quaint stores and perhaps stop by a local pub or two.

Connect with Nature

Finding something to inspire you is not hard with the richness of the various eco systems surrounding Mulranny - from marine to mountain landscapes, with grasslands, bog and heather hills - this enchanted land casts a spell on any artist.

Enriching Excursions

Visit historic sites. Learn about the infamous Irish Pirate Queen and visit one of her many castles. Hear the story of our Stone Age ancestors and experience the myths and magic of Irelands spiritual roots while standing in one of the ancient stone circles. This is indeed a land of legends!

Find Your Inspiration

Make sure to pack your camera and sketchbooks because you're about to embark on a journey that will capture your heart and fill your mind with boundless inspiration. Prepare to be swept away by the sights, sounds, and stories that make this place truly magical.

Your Time with us in Mulranny

Your 8 days will be a beautiful blend of studio time, delightful excursions, cultural experiences and of course, plenty of free time to rest and explore!

You can arrive, unpack your suitcase (and your art supplies) and truly relax, at the gorgeous Essence of Mulranny Retreat center, operated by artist, Lora Murphy. We will be visiting enchanting villages, strolling along the beautiful coastline, touring ancient castles and ruins, picnicking in the heather fields and creating all along the way! The creative inspiration will be all around you!

Join Us in Mulranny

Your general itinerary for your time in this magical place.

There may be a few changes here and there, depending on weather usually but we will let you know.

Date: Friday, May 15th
Theme: Arriving in the Landscape
Afternoon
- Arrival at Essence of Mulranny Center
- Champagne reception
- Room check-in and time to settle in
Evening
- Opening Circle: Orientation & shared intentions
- Introductory talk: “What Are Irish Wells?”
- Dinner in the dining room, with a local storyteller sharing legends of sacred waters
Day 2 – Brigid’s Light: Saints & Water
Date: Sat May 16th
Theme: Healing & Feminine Wisdom
Morning
- Breakfast in the dining room
- Visit to Blacksod Bay & St. Deirbhile’s Well (Belmullet)
Lunch
- Picnic or nearby café (TBC)
Afternoon
- Visit Holy Cross Well, Ballintubber Abbey
- Reflection on monastic Ireland
- Visit Aghagower: St. Anne’s & St. Patrick’s Wells
Evening
- Dinner at the MAC
- Optional traditional music session at a local pub
Date: Sunday , May 17th
Theme: Holy wells as ancient places of connection—between worlds, elements, and intentions.
Morning:
- Welcome circle & introductions
- Short talk: The history, folklore, and spiritual significance of Mayo’s holy wells
- Guided meditation: Connecting to water as an element of healing and memory
- Journaling prompts:
  - What am I seeking at the well?
  - What thresholds am I crossing in my life?
Afternoon:
- Mixed media techniques:
  - Tea staining papers (symbol of ritual water)
  - Creating textured “stone” well frames using modeling paste and fabric
  - Hand-lettering intentions with ink and dip pens
- Begin constructing journal covers (recycled materials, found objects)
- Field sketching from Mulranny landscape (coastal/wetland forms as motifs)
Evening (Optional):
Slide show / informal storytelling night: Folklore of local wells (e.g., Tobar Ríogh an Domhnaigh, Tobernalt, etc.)
Date: Monday May 18th
Theme: Isolation, Memory & Resilience
Morning–Evening: Full-Day Excursion with Journaling
- Breakfast
- Depart for Achill Island with Colum
- Visit St. Dymphna’s Holy Well, Kildownat Cemetery & famine graveyard
- Walk through Slievemore Deserted Village – reflection on migration & ancestral healing
Lunch
- At The Beehive seaside restaurant
Evening
- Visit Tobar Mhuire at Rosserk Abbey, Ballina
- Return to Mulranny
Dinner
Date: Tuesday , May 19th
Theme: Wells as sites of physical and spiritual healing.
Morning:
- Discussion: Stories of cures, blessings, and offerings (cloths on trees, coins, prayers)
- Guided body scan meditation and drawing from the body map
- Journaling prompts:
  - Where do I seek healing?
  - What do I leave behind at the well?
Afternoon:
- Mixed media techniques:
  - Transfer techniques (photo/image) for layering memory
  - Sgraffito (scratching back to reveal hidden layers)
  - Wax resist and encaustic-style collage (if feasible, with small tools or cold wax medium)
Evening (Optional):
- Group sharing circle or poetry reading around themes of water, healing, mythology
Date: Wednsaday , May 20th
Theme: Wells as spaces for offering, completion, and gratitude.
Morning:
- Prompt:
  - What am I offering to the well now?
  - What blessing do I take with me?
- Create a final “offering” page or piece in your journal
- Use symbolism, written text, and sacred objects
Afternoon:
- Final mixed media assembly
  - Stitching, binding, or tying journal elements together
  - Optional envelope for secret messages/blessings to the future self
- Group sharing: Present a page, a symbol, or a story from the week
- Closing ritual at the coast or local well (weather permitting):
Pouring of water / tying of ribbons / spoken blessings
Date: Thursday May 21st
- Last full studio day for final projects, reflections, and journaling
- Optional sea swim available each morning
- Evening song and storytelling at our Rambling house
Date: Friday , May 22nd
Theme: Returning Changed
Morning
- Breakfast
- Farewell hugs & departures
- Colum will transport guests to Westport Train Station

essence-of-mulranny-encaustic-retreats-room-accommodation.jpeg

essence-of-mulranny-encaustic-retreats-sitting-area-in-mulranny-art-school.jpeg

Your home for the week.

This beautiful learning center is complete with well equipped mixed media/encaustic art studio, private bedrooms, a cozy gathering room with fireplace and group kitchen for those midnight snacks!

All meals will be included and prepared by an on-site private chef and will focus on delicious, healthy cuisine. For larger groups we house students in the village, in apartments with spectacular views.

Join Us in Mulranny

May 15th - 22nd, 2026