Yoga & Sleep Retreat at Lisnavagh House, County Carlow

Lisnavagh House sits on 600 acres of fields and woodland outside Rathvilly, County Carlow, about an hour and a half from Dublin. The house itself is a historic Irish country estate, and the retreat uses the old stable courtyard for guest rooms — converted stables with thick walls, comfortable beds and good linen. There's a walled garden that supplies a lot of the produce for the kitchen, and walking trails lead straight out from the property into the woods and fields.

The Yoga & Sleep Retreat runs for two nights, Friday to Sunday. Mornings start with a yoga class before breakfast, usually a slower, grounding practice to ease you into the day. Breakfast is a proper spread — porridge, eggs, bread, fruit, coffee — and then the middle of the day is yours. You can walk the grounds, head into Rathvilly or nearby Carlow town, or just go back to bed, which is honestly what a lot of people do. Afternoon yoga is a restorative session with props and long holds, and then dinner is served in the evening.

Pam Butler leads the yoga. She teaches in a steady, unhurried way, with classes that work for mixed levels — if you've never done yoga before, you'll be fine, and if you have a regular practice, she'll give you options to go deeper. The sleep part isn't a gimmick: the rooms are quiet, the beds are made up with good linen, and the whole weekend is structured so that you actually get rest rather than just talking about it.

What sets this retreat apart from other Irish yoga weekends is the food and the setting. The walled garden tour and the seasonal cooking are a real part of the experience — guests consistently mention the meals as one of the best things about the weekend. The estate is also genuinely peaceful, with no traffic noise, no light pollution, and enough space that you can go a whole afternoon without seeing another guest if you want to.

If you can't commit to the full weekend, Lisnavagh offers day retreats on Saturdays within their weekend programmes, depending on what's running. You can email them at events@lisnavagh.com or call +353 59 9161473 to ask about availability. The retreat runs several times a year with different facilitators, so if the November date doesn't work, there are other weekends in the same slot.

What's included

- 2 nights accommodation in the stable courtyard rooms - All meals from Friday dinner to Sunday breakfast - Daily yoga sessions with Pam Butler - Use of the estate grounds and walking trails - Tea, coffee and snacks throughout the day - Parking on site

What's not included

- Travel to and from Lisnavagh House - Travel insurance - Alcohol and drinks outside of meal times - Optional treatments or day retreat add-ons - Personal expenses