We are huge fans of the beautiful Avondale Retreat here at Positive Life (click here to read the article Helen Holt wrote for us in our Winter 2019/20 issue) and we highly recommend the Sacred Waters Retreat for Women from May 22nd to 24th. Read on to learn all about it!
Holistic Holidays
Calling in Change: The Offerings of Avondale Retreat
Avondale Retreat provides an amazing space to unwind, get away and attune to your true nature. This wonderful article (which appeared in our Winter 2019/20 issue) by founder Helen Holt offers a beautiful description of the driving force behind the Retreat’s offerings: helping people to feel Alive, feel Loved, and to Belong. Read on to learn all about it.
Creacon Magic: Wexford Wellness With Heart
We are huge fans of Creacon Wellness Retreat here at Positive Life, and in our Winter 2019/20 issue, we were pleased to feature them in the ever-popular Short and Sweet section. Read on to learn all about the amazing retreats, food, classes and other services they offer.
December Vibes: Our Best and Brightest Picks for the Festive Season
Dazzling December: Hello, Positive Lifers! We’re excited to bring you this lovely roundup of holistic news, products and events for the month of December. Our Winter 2019/20 issue has hit the shelves, featuring oodles of inspiring content from our regular contributors, as well as an in-depth look at yoga therapy, an exclusive interview with spiritual pioneer Jac O’ Keeffe and an amazing conversation with Shaman Durek. Our main feature is a tribute to the legendary spiritual teacher Ram Dass, celebrating his life’s work – just in time for the release of his new documentary ‘Becoming Nobody’! Read on to learn about the special event we have planned to mark the occasion…
In our Autumn 2019 issue, Paul shared his amazing experience in Dingle, Co. Kerry, where he enjoyed a retreat courtesy of Stay YNA. Read on to learn all about it.
Home is Where Kerry is
A Positive Retreat
by Paul Congdon
Peace is the theme of this issue – a beautiful feeling available to all humans, yet one we tend to feel in a heightened way when we are in a conducive environment like on a retreat, a walk in nature, meditating or swimming in the sea. It’s nice if you can generate peace on the inside, so that it’s available to you no matter where you are but, for now, I take a break and head away.
If staying in Ireland, Kerry is my place of harmony. This is a love letter to Kerry and begins in March of this year when the lovely people at Stay YNA invited me to stay in one of their luxury houses in the wilds of Ballyferriter, Co. Kerry.
I arrived to one of the most luxurious houses I’ve ever seen, furnished with all-natural materials, boasting a stunning view and a welcome pack of homemade bread and brownies. The living room had a wood-burning stove for those rainy hours when you just want to kick back, read a book and while away your holiday in peace. Each bedroom had its own unique style and more sweet views. There is something about this area. No wonder the ‘Stars Wars’ people felt that the force was here, with its wonderful beaches: Béal Bán, Wine Strand, Ventry (check out the view from Quinn’s pub), and Coumeenole, where Ryans Daughter was made.
When you feel like a bit of a buzz, head into the lovely hum of Dingle, about 10 minutes away by car. The scenery everywhere you go is breathtaking and the drive into Dingle has a different feel each time you look, with the colours always changing and the bay opening up before you. With great restaurants and pubs, the vibe in the town is so special. One pub that stood out was Kennedy’s, an entirely candlelit pub. The live music in the area is so eclectic too – check out singer Muireann and the fiddle player Jeremy Spencer, to name but two. A shout out to some cool veggie /vegan spots in the town: Boy Blue, The Pantri, and the lovely Thyme Out Cafe, which is connected to the health store Ré Nua. Top-class food and service from all, and such a welcoming vibe. Back home to the house for a bit of stove-action with my book, followed by some yoga, and I felt suitably recharged.
My mum and dad popped down from Dublin on the free train and we ended up in a lovely pub in Ballyferriter where the locals all speak as gaeilge. They regaled us with some stories about the filming of ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Ryan’s Daughter’.
Swimming in the sea, lunching in Dingle, meditating, reading, and the odd glass of something when the mood took me … after a few days, I had that peace both outside and inside, and as you all know, it feels so good.
If you feel a retreat coming on, we have it here on our home soil, and no better place than Kerry. Stay YNA will look after you. Tell them we sent you.
Paul stayed in Ballyferriter, courtesy of Stay YNA: stayyna.com
They offer luxurious holiday homes in Dingle, Spain and France.
Our publisher Paul Congdon was thrilled to enjoy a beautiful retreat in Kerry recently, courtesy of the amazing folks at Stay YNA. He shared the whole story in our Autumn 2019 issue – to hear all about it, just read on. The full magazine is available through your local stockist, or you can subscribe online here.