Inspired by a paper-sculpture course, Alanna Gallaghersuggests seven other getaways in Ireland where you can pick up new tricks
EVERYONE HAS artistic potential. The trick is to find out what you're good at. Butterfingers can ease themselves in gently with a paper-sculpture class. The class at Art at the Park in east Clare is a tactile, slow-build way to learn how to work with your hands and find your inner artist.
Krystyna Pomeroy is the paper-sculpture artist in residence. You might recognise her work from the Bridge Gallery in Dublin, where her trademark hens are on display. The long-legged, fat-breasted birds are festively decorated and make great decorations around homes. But, as novices, we were not quite ready for the vast array of techniques that are used in their creation. Instead we get a simpler style of chicken, using the papier-mache technique to build the sculpture. This is a Sunday roast with a creative flavour.
The class is small - six in total. My classmates are a father-and-son combo and a mother-and-daughter act, as well as one very forward-thinking national-school teacher who's expanding his skill set, on his own time and with his own money. How lucky are the kids in his class?
We begin by cutting out the template of the bird in card using scissors, scalpels and pencils. Pomeroy channels green principles by using mounting board off-cuts, which she sources from a local framer. The newspaper sheets we use to create the papier-mache frame comes from old local papers and recycled Golden Pages.
The day begins at 10.30am and runs until about 4pm, punctuated by home-made treats and as much tea or coffee as you want.
While it all looks very simple, each step of the process is time-consuming, and it takes me the entire class to create the shell of the bird. The strips of papier mache take time to dry, so we're shown how to decorate the chicken but the painting aspect is given as homework.
It has been years since I did anything creative with my hands. I used to study fashion design and pattern-cutting, and there's a great sense of achievement in building something from scratch.
Art at the Park is in a beautiful location, and the hosts - professional illustrators Julie and Mark Douglas - live on site. The studio classroom is located adjacent to their country cottage and overlooks Lough Graney and the mountains beyond on the Galway-Clare border. A variety of art classes is on offer, but the drawing and painting classes are particularly popular. Also on offer are intensive portfolio residential courses designed to get students into art college.
If you want to dip your toe into the mixed-media waters of the art world, the paper-sculpture class is a wonderful first step. For me, it was a perfect day - sunny morning light punctuated by calm and quiet industrious periods. Fantastic me time. I left full of intentions to return, and to spend more time enjoying the simple things in life.
The next paper-sculpture class at Art at the Park is on Sunday, August 17th, €120. Details of this and other classes from 061-925975, 087-1330040, www.artatthepark.net
Good places to stay
include the Old Ground
Hotel in Ennis (065-6828127) and Clareville House in Tuamgraney (061-922925, www.clarevillehouse.net),
Co Clare
The magnificent seven: learn how to fish, carve, restore and more
1 Irish language It's time to brush up on your conas a tá tú-s. Oideas Gael (074-9730248) in Glencolmcille, Co Donegal, offers mainly week-long courses in the language at €190 per person, but there are also a couple of weekend courses for the time-pressed. These cost €100 and run over the October bank holiday, from the 24th to 27th.
Craic agus ceol is an essential part of the course and you get to practice your blas over a seisiún in the local pub.
The accommodation on offer is fairly basic, with most attendees opting for the
BB or self-catering options. Both are central to the village, which means you can fully enjoy the fun at night.
Prices are €175 and €100 respectively for the week.
The nearby Óstan Ghleann Cholm Cille (074-973003) is another accommodation option.
2 Go fishingThe fishing school is the catch of the day at the Pontoon Bridge Hotel (094-9256120, www.pontoonbridge.com), situated between the shores of Lough Cullen and Lough Conn.
A one-day beginner's course with instructor Jack Mellette will teach you how to kit, hold and cast a line. The class also teaches basic watercraft, how to present a fly, and angling etiquette.
The class, which costs €95, is open to residents and non-residents, but the benefit of staying at the hotel is that you can have head chef Mary Geary, former captain of the Irish international ladies' fly-fishing team, cook it for you. And if you don't fancy eating it right away, the hotel can have it smoked or frozen until your departure.
You can hire equipment and clothing from the hotel shop. Accommodation costs €55-€95 per person sharing.
3 Restoration periodHooked on The Dealers? Upgrade your ability to turn tired furniture into new and improved pieces by learning furniture restoration. Nigel Barnes of Old Chairs (087-2491978, 087-4176252, www.oldchairs.ie) operates a two-day weekend course in Kilrush, Co Clare, tailored to your own areas of interest.
"We give you what you want to get out of the class and pass on our expertise," says Barnes. "Most people come with a project in hand, whether it be an old chair or a baby grand piano."
French polish fanatics can get the nous in classes of no more than four. It costs €125 and includes lunch both days. Materials are supplied bar fabric for upholstery.
You can stay on site at Clooneenagh House for a paltry €30 a night or you could blow the budget and check into the five-star surroundings of nearby The Lodge at Doonbeg (065-9055600).
4 Beach safariHow much do you know about the world around you? If you like to walk the beach, then why not investigate further with a shore safari, complete with ecologist, which takes in the various habitats of Tramore Bay in Co Waterford?
Run by the T-Bay Surf Wildlife Centre (051-391297, www.surftbay.com), the course offers a rock-pool safari at low tide; beach and wildlife walks; sand-dune exploration; and even time travel - the back strand is home to a Neolithic kitchen, which makes for a hands-on history lesson. This special, protected area is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
The centre also offers surfing classes for those who want to make a day of it and explore the waves as well as the wildlife.
There's something for all the family. "The kids love anything dead," says Eric Randall, co-director of the centre. "It keeps them fascinated." Adult-only hikes are also available, but these tend to focus on the scientific. Prices start from €20 per person. Surf classes are from €30, depending on group size.
5 Carve yourself a nicheWoodcarving is a very specialised and rewarding hobby, and it can be lucrative. Artist James McLoughlin (087-6368884, 021-4812909 www.woodcarvingireland.ie) is based in Cobh, Co Cork, and runs a one-day introductory course to woodcarving. He's showing at Art Ireland at the end of March if you want to get a feel for his work.
All materials are supplied, and McLoughlin has most beginners work in lime wood, which, he says, is nice for carving. The day costs €100, and classes take place at his studio at 13 Connolly Street.
For accommodation, McLoughlin recommends the Bella Vista Hotel (021-4812450, www.bellavistahotel.ie), a large 200-year-old family-run home that has bedrooms and self-catering options. It has Titanic connections and is on the Cobh Titanic Trail. Try to book the Napoleon Josephine premier bedroom.
6 Skin deepBeauty-school drop-outs can create their own product range after a one-day natural-beauty course at the Orchard Acre Farm (048-68621066 www.orchardacrefarm.com) near Irvinestown in Co Fermanagh.
The next midweek course takes place in September. You get to make your own quality moisturiser, cleanser, toner and lip balm, using beetroot juice for the lip colour and other kitchen ingredients such as oatmeal, cucumber and mint. The range is designed to suit your own skin type.
Like all skincare, the products have a shelf life, but you leave with the recipes, so you can make as much fresh produce as you like.
The course costs €160 per person, and you go home with about €80 worth of products.
Stay at the Manor House Hotel in nearby Killadeas (048-68622200, www.manor-house-hotel.com).
7 Hats offFillies who fancy upping the ante at best-dressed competitions at race meets should try a weekend millinery course. Sydney's Lina Stein (098-28449, www.linasteinmillinery.com) runs the classes in Rosmoney, a couple of miles outside Westport in Co Mayo. Classes are ongoing but her two-day course on June 14th and 15th, which costs €350, should have the racing set romping west.
If you like your headwear less fancy, a one-day course, Feathered Creations, might be just the ticket. The next of these is on August 7th and costs €190.
Knockranny House Hotel and Spa (098-28600, www.khh.ie) in Westport is one accommodation option. Another is luxury country pile Newport House (098-41222, www.newporthouse.ie), a 15-minute drive away.