Sketch Ireland Dublin-Galway
with Meagan Burns Sept 2027
Experience Begins:
Monday, August 30, 2027
Depart:
Tuesday, September 7, 2027
Sketch Dublin and Galway, from city streets to the Wild Atlantic Way
Join Meagan Burns for a nine-day hosted sketch experience through Dublin and Galway, created for artists who want to experience Ireland through drawing rather than simply pass through it as tourists.
We'll sketch our way through Dublin's streets, museums, pubs and historic places before traveling west by train to Galway and the Atlantic coast. Along the way, drawing exercises will connect directly to the places we're visiting, with local history, mythology, literature, traditional music, food, printmaking and a day on Inis Mór woven into the experience.
With a small group of artists, we'll travel locally, draw on location, eat in neighborhood places, and leave plenty of room to wander, observe and discover the stories that make a place worth drawing.
Why Sketch Ireland?
Ireland has stories to tell. History, mythology, literature, music and everyday life are still very much part of the places we'll visit, giving us much more to draw than beautiful scenery.
Over nine days, we'll experience two very different sides of Ireland, from the streets of Dublin to Galway and the Atlantic coast. We'll travel by train and local transportation, spend a day on Inis Mór, sketch in museums, streets, pubs and along the water, and learn from local guides and artists along the way.
I'll take care of the planning, logistics and daily flow so you can concentrate on drawing, experiencing Ireland, and creating a sketchbook filled with the places and stories we discover together.
What You’ll Experience
Nine days of sketching and exploring Dublin, Galway, and Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way with a small group of fellow artists.
Daily drawing exercises created around the places we'll be visiting, preparing us to sketch the architecture, people, streets, landscapes, and stories we encounter.
A mythology walking tour through Dublin, Trinity College and the Book of Kells, the National Gallery of Ireland, and the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl.
Historic Irish pubs, traditional music, local food, and evenings experiencing Dublin and Galway.
A train journey across Ireland from Dublin to Galway, with local transportation included throughout the experience.
A full-day ferry journey across Galway Bay to Inis Mór, followed by the Cliffs of Moher from the water on our return to Galway.
A half-day at a Galway art studio creating a drypoint print and working in our sketchbooks.
An opening dinner with seasonal foods in Dublin and a closing dinner in Galway.
All scheduled activities, tours, transportation, entrance fees, and group experiences included.
Meagan Burns
Meagan Burns is an artist, educator, and creator of Continuous Line Storytelling. Based in Mexico City, she has spent years leading small-group sketch experiences that bring together drawing, travel, and the stories of the places we visit.
Meagan designs each experience from the ground up, scouting the destination, arranging the logistics, and creating drawing exercises specifically around the places we'll encounter. Rather than spending the day in formal instruction, we'll use drawing as a way to experience Ireland, with guidance and exercises woven throughout our days in Dublin, Galway, and along the Atlantic coast.
Sketch Ireland Agenda
Monday, August 30 | Welcome to Dublin
We'll gather at Motel One Dublin in the afternoon to meet the group and create our handmade sketchbooks. Our Ireland experience begins with a welcome dinner at The Winding Stair overlooking the River Liffey. Participants are encouraged to arrive in Dublin a day or two early to settle in before we begin. (Sketchbook materials and welcome dinner included.)
Tuesday, August 31 | Dublin Mythology, Sketching & Trad Music
We'll begin the morning with drawing exercises created around the places we'll encounter that day, followed by a mythology walking tour through Dublin. After sketching and lunch, we'll return to the hotel for a break before heading to one of Dublin's historic pubs for dinner and traditional Irish music. (Mythology tour included.)
Wednesday, September 1 | Trinity College, Book of Kells & Literary Dublin
Our morning drawing session prepares us for a day at Trinity College, including the Book of Kells and the historic library. We'll sketch and have lunch before returning to the hotel, then head out again in the evening for the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl and dinner. (Trinity College and Book of Kells admission and Literary Pub Crawl included.)
Thursday, September 2 | Irish Art & St Stephen's Green
We'll begin with our morning drawing exercises before visiting the National Gallery of Ireland and St Stephen's Green for a day of art, sketching, and exploring central Dublin. After lunch, we'll make our way back through the city to our hotel before gathering for dinner. (Scheduled admissions included.)
Friday, September 3 | Dublin to Galway
After breakfast and check-out, private transportation will take us and our luggage to the train station for our journey west across Ireland to Galway. After checking into The Snug Townhouse, we'll gather for lunch and spend our first afternoon getting acquainted with Galway through our sketchbooks, followed by dinner and traditional Irish music. (Transportation to the station and train to Galway included.)
Saturday, September 4 | Inis Mór & the Cliffs of Moher
We'll sail from Galway across Galway Bay to Inis Mór for the day, where we'll experience the island's stone walls, villages, ruins, Atlantic landscape, and island life through our sketchbooks. On our return journey, the ferry takes us beneath the Cliffs of Moher for an extraordinary view from the Atlantic before returning to Galway for dinner at The King's Head. (Round-trip ferry and Cliffs of Moher cruise included.)
Sunday, September 5 | A Day in Galway
Sunday belongs to Galway. We'll gather for brunch before spending the day sketching and experiencing the city, its streets, waterfront, history, local food, and pub culture. We'll gather again in the evening at Tigh Neachtain.
Monday, September 6 | Printmaking, Sketchbooks & Farewell
We'll spend half the day at Just Art It Galway for a drypoint printmaking session, creating our own prints and working in our sketchbooks. In the evening, we'll gather for our closing dinner at Kai before ending our final night together with traditional Irish music at The Crane Bar. (Printmaking session and closing dinner included.)
Tuesday, September 7 | Goodbyes
We'll gather for breakfast and goodbyes before everyone begins their journey home or continues their travels in Ireland.
What’s Included
Nine days of hosted sketching and experiences in Dublin and Galway
Handmade sketchbook-making session with materials provided
Welcome dinner in Dublin
Dublin mythology walking tour
Trinity College, Book of Kells, and Library tour
Dublin Literary Pub Crawl
Admission to scheduled museums and cultural sites
Local transportation in Dublin, including bus transportation
Private transportation with luggage to Dublin Heuston Station
Train transportation from Dublin to Galway
Full-day ferry excursion from Galway to Inis Mór
Cliffs of Moher cruise on the return journey from Inis Mór
Half-day drypoint printmaking session at a Galway art studio
Traditional Irish music experiences in historic Dublin and Galway pubs
Daily drawing exercises designed around the places we'll visit
Sketching throughout Dublin, Galway, and Inis Mór
Closing dinner in Galway
What’s Not Included
Airfare and transportation to and from Ireland
Accommodations in Dublin and Galway
Meals and beverages not specifically listed as included
Transportation outside scheduled group activities
Personal art supplies
Alcohol, shopping, and personal expenses
Tips and gratuities
Payment processing fees
Travel insurance
Travel insurance is required for participation.
Hotel Accommodations
Accommodations are not included, and each participant will book and pay for their own lodging.
In Dublin, our home base will be Motel One Dublin, centrally located near the River Liffey and Ha’penny Bridge. We’ll stay here for four nights, Monday, August 30 through Friday, September 3.
In Galway, our home base will be The Snug Townhouse, in the heart of the Latin Quarter. We’ll stay here for four nights, Friday, September 3 through Tuesday, September 7.
Our hotels serve as gathering points throughout the experience, so I strongly recommend staying with the group. Group rates and booking information will be provided as soon as they are finalized.
Transportation
Dublin Airport (DUB) is the most convenient airport for the experience. Taxis, buses, and other ground transportation are available from the airport into central Dublin.
Participants are encouraged to arrive in Dublin one or two days before our experience begins on Monday, August 30, giving you time to settle in and adjust before we gather that afternoon.
During the experience, scheduled group transportation is included, including local transportation in Dublin, transportation to Dublin Heuston Station, train travel from Dublin to Galway, and our ferry excursion to Inis Mór and the Cliffs of Moher.
Our experience ends in Galway on Tuesday, September 7. Participants may return to Dublin for onward travel or continue their travels independently in Ireland.
Travel insurance is required for this experience.
Experience Fee
Sketch Ireland Dublin-Galway Experience with Meagan Burns
August 30 to September 7, 2027
Experience Fee: $2,400 USD
The experience fee includes nine days of hosted sketch activities with Meagan Burns, scheduled tours and cultural experiences, group transportation during the experience, train travel from Dublin to Galway, the Inis Mór and Cliffs of Moher ferry excursion, drypoint printmaking session, handmade sketchbook materials, and the meals listed under What’s Included.
Not included: airfare and travel to and from Ireland, accommodations, travel insurance, meals not specifically listed as included, personal art supplies, and personal expenses.
Payment Schedule
To reserve your place, a $600 USD deposit is required.
$600 deposit due at registration
$900 second payment due January 15, 2027
$900 final balance due May 15, 2027
Register
Sketch Ireland Dublin-Galway Experience with Meagan Burns
Recommended Arrival: Saturday, August 28 or Sunday, August 29, 2027
Experience Begins Monday, August 30
Experience Ends Tuesday, September 7
Experience Fee: $2,400 USD
Cancellation Policy
All cancellations must be made in writing and are effective upon receipt.
A $600 USD deposit is required to reserve your place in the Sketch Ireland Dublin-Galway Experience. The deposit is fully refundable through November 30, 2026. Beginning December 1, 2026, the deposit becomes non-refundable.
A second payment of $900 USD is due January 15, 2027. The final payment of $900 USD is due May 15, 2027.
Because this is a small international experience with advance reservations and financial commitments, payments made after November 30, 2026 are non-refundable unless your place is filled by another paying participant. If a waiting list exists, we will do our best to fill your place, but a replacement cannot be guaranteed.
If your place is successfully filled, payments made toward the experience fee will be refunded, less any non-refundable expenses or fees already paid on your behalf.
Participant expenses outside the experience fee, including airfare, accommodations, meals, travel insurance, and other personal travel expenses, are not the responsibility of Art Leap Adventures.
If the Sketch Ireland Experience is cancelled by Art Leap Adventures, all experience fees paid to Art Leap Adventures will be refunded. Art Leap Adventures is not responsible for reimbursement of airfare, accommodations, or other travel expenses.
Travel insurance with strong medical and trip cancellation coverage is required. Cancel for Any Reason coverage is strongly recommended.
Art Supplies
Canson XL watercolor paper, 140 lb, 9" x 12" (I also experiment with other sketchbooks, but I tend to use larger sizes)
Sailor Fude de Mannen fountain pen (or similar)
Uni-Ball Impact Bold 207
Staedtler Fine Liners
INDArt saturated watercolor inks
Quality watercolors in a travel pan set (Daniel Smith)
Quality watercolor brushes
Pentel brush pens
Platinum Carbon Ink (for fountain pen and brush pen use)
Sun hat and sturdy walking shoes
Pencil, gum eraser, salt, scrapers, bleed-proof white, water bottle, paper towel
Tiny stool for sitting (completely optional). I use the Cooseon 10" folding stool, which folds up nicely and fits in my backpack, but others prefer the Walkstool Comfort.
Bring any additional art supplies you prefer.
Participation in the sketching sessions is required.
I’m your host, Meagan Burns
Ireland has stories to tell. Its history, mythology, literature, music, landscapes, and everyday life give us an extraordinary place to experience through our sketchbooks.
I first traveled through Ireland to explore the possibilities for this experience, spending time in Dublin and Galway, riding the buses and trains, visiting museums and historic places, listening to traditional music, exploring Inis Mór, and drawing along the way. This experience grew out of what I discovered there and what I wanted more of.
I'll lead our small group throughout the nine days, with drawing exercises designed around the places we're visiting and instruction woven into our days. I'll take care of the itinerary and logistics while we travel locally, sketch on location, learn from local guides and artists, share meals, listen to music, and experience Ireland beyond its famous sights.
I'd love to draw Ireland with you.
