Digital Detox

The internet has brought us greater connectivity, and streamlined our lives in ways which have allowed us to do more but move less. For many of us, the online world is like an extra limb.

However, this constant flow of information, constant ‘connectedness’ can often be exhausting - leaving us paradoxically disconnected from ourselves, from nature and from real conversation, art, and living.

This Digital Detox Workshop will bring together a number of different workshops and activities over the weekend designed to help us reconnect with ourselves through practices which help slow things down and carefully tend to the mind, the body, and the soul.

The weekend will begin with mindfulness meditation, which will help us get centred and more aware of our intentions for the weekend, and then we will be given a fireside workshop in the art of storytelling by a traditional Irish Seanachaí.

Workshops as part of the Weekend:

The Art of Storytelling with Aideen Mc Bride

Aideen Mc Bride is a well seasoned traditional Irish storyteller, who uses her craft to connect with audiences all over Ireland. Her stories range from traditional tales and rural tales, to newly created stories. She has told stories in both English and as Gaeilge in schools, libraries and festivals, to audiences both old and young.

For her Digital Detox workshop, Aideen will not only be delighting us with beautifully crafted Irish stories, but she’ll be showing us HOW to craft these beautiful stories and deliver them with all the charm and wit of the great storytellers.

Mindful living and CBT with Ken Loftus:

This interactive workshop will show the main aspects of each of these and will practice exercises and engage in interactive chats to help each one take away with them techniques to improve and maintain their daily mental health. The workshop will display holistic and solution-based techniques that we can all use daily to help with current, past and future mental health issues of different levels of severity.

Participants will leave the day with extra tools for their toolbox of emotional coping to deal with day to day issues, and future issues that present themselves. They will also leave with a greater understanding on how the Brain and the Mind works.

Laughter Yoga and Chi Gung with Angie Kinsella:

Laughter Yoga is a revolutionary idea – simple, profound and highly beneficial for your health. An exercise routine that is sweeping the world and is a complete wellbeing workout.

Laughter is now being prescribed as the best medicine for wellness. Countless studies have validated the efficacy of laughter and its therapeutic power in dealing with physical, mental and emotional health. With enormous physiological and psychological benefits, it is the most powerful remedial tool that has the ability to dramatically change the perspective of life by quickly relieving stress and depression and elevating mood states.

In addition to the energy raising laughter yoga, Angie will give a participative and practical demonstration of Chi Gung to help relax and revitalise your body.

Everyday Astronomy with Lee Hurley:

Lee is an astronomer with a background in astrophysics from Dublin City University. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge of the heavens and giving people an excuse to get excited about the stars.

For his workshop at Digital Detox, Lee will be showing us how we can make astronomy a part of our everyday lives, and how we can understand the basic principles of the night sky: from being able to locate the north star, so you never get lost, to naming the important constellations, so you always seem interesting. What better way to detox from the digital world, than learning a little bit about the great unknown, right above our heads .. (actually Lee informs me, about 100km above our heads).

Bushcraft with Fearghal Gallagher:

Feargal Gallagher was born in the wilds of Mayo and spent his childhood growing up in the beautiful countryside of both Sligo and Kildare. Spending his formative years immersed in nature has ensured a love and connection to wild places that can not be measured. Feargal is at his happiest whilst trapsing across fields or through forests, following the tracks and traces of the local wildlife.

For his workshop at Digital Detox, Ferghal will bring his well honed skill set which includes knife skills, shelter building, making fire, foraging wild foods, finding your sit spot and organising the perfect sit out. Do you have what it takes to survive and thrive in the Wild?? Why not find out!

Specific Subjects covered are:
• Clothing.
• The tools of bushcraft, knife, axe, saw, and there proper usage and care.
• Fire, how to build a fire properly
• Water, how to find and purify
• Some basic wild foods and medicinal plants

Writing for Life - David Butler:

David is a published author and teaches at the Irish Writers Centre in Dublin, and previously at the James Joyce centre, David has plenty of experience teaching people how to wrap their heads around Ulyssesian complexities with the greatest of ease.

For Digital Detox, David will practically show us how writing can be used to help us greater understand the world, ourselves, and the various narratives that run through our life. Allowing us to harness the power of creativity as a tool for relaxation, invigoration and mental dexterity.