2026 Retreat

The International Songwriting Retreat, unique in Ireland, offers you the chance to explore and hone your songwriting skills, under the expert mentorship of our international team and will take place at the Irish Institute of Music and Song, Ireland’s only purpose-built music campus from August 10 to 16, 2026 .

Hear what last year’s songwriters had to say about their EXPERIENCE

ABOUT

International songwriting retreat brings 3 of the worlds top songwriters each year to Ireland to mentor, workshop, and coach professional, semi-professional and high-level amateur songwriters.

The mentors include Rob Wells (credits include Justin Bieber, Arianna Grande etc..) Maria Christensen (credits include Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez and NSYNC) and Craig Stuart Garfinkle (credits include IFTA, Emmy, Ivor Novello, and Mark Awards, major movies and video game soundtracks).

The retreat takes place on the Irish Institute of Music and Song Campus, Lark Concert Hall and each year welcomes songwriters from across the globe. (see video of previous members here). Participants can attend as residents for the week or as non-residents. In addition to the mentors there are also talks from other artists. This year the talks include: Danny O’ Reilly (from the Coronas) and Nathan Carter.

Join us for one of the most important weekends of your life.

Meet our mentors

What to Expect

Mentorship

One-to-one sessions with internationally-acclaimed songwriting experts.

Education

Learn the art of lyrics, recording, production and how to collaborate with other artists as well as essential music business skills.

Participate in guest speaker series at The Lark Concert Hall.

Community

Meet like-minded musicians and song-writers from all over the world and form future collaborations.

Collaboration

Work on your own material as well as writing to briefs with your peer songwriters.

Performance

Perform live and record audio & video in the Lark Concert Hall of your own songs.

All-inclusive

Access to writing, practice & rehearsal rooms on the IIMS Campus.

6 nights accommodation in our Japanese-Style Shared Accommodation Bedford Quarters.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner for the duration of your stay from the La-La Cafe & Restaurant.

Sample schedule

COURSE FEES

Choose from three packages: