Drum Birthing Weekend 2025
Join us for a weekend of drum-making and meditation in the shamanic tradition.
What
A weekend of drum making. Accommdation and meals provided. Drum materials provided – you will bring home your own drum.
Where
De la Salle retreat center in Casteltown, Co. Laoise.
When
Registration opens on Friday 21st of November at 6pm, and we finish up in the afternoon of Sunday 23rd.
Cost
Prices from €230 for room + drum.
See FAQ for detailed pricing options
Bringing Life to the Drum
We’ve been running drum-making workshops for years with our talented facilitator Vispi. Trained in the shamanic tradition, he takes you through a series of beautiful meditative journeys to understand your drum deeply – each step of the way.
By the end of the weekend you’ll take home a new drum, with the powerful connection you will have formed with it.
Over the weekend you will build a drum from its parts – buffalo leather and maple frame. We import the materials from a native American family owned business in the States. (Note, if choosing the Bodhrán option, materials are sourced in Ireland) Across the weekend there will be a number of sessions where you will put together the drum part by part, and go on meditative journeys to develop a bond with your drum.
Many men in our community have held onto their drums for years – they become like a friend, to be played by a bonfire, or alongside to roar of a waterfall. The drums build up their own patina, and store the smells of years of smoke and incense.
This weekend is a huge opportunity to connect with other like-minded men on a healing journey, to build new skills and to start a lifelong friendship with your drum.
As the veil of the year grows thin and we enter the dark embrace of winter, we honour the turning of the seasons and the time of Samhain. This is the ancient time of giving thanks to our ancestors — for their wisdom, their resilience, and the lifeways they have passed down to us. In the old ways, it was also the season to celebrate the harvest — the promise that the fruits of the land would sustain the people through the cold months ahead.
Build connection with yourself and other men – we will step together into sacred space, held in a container of trust, respect, and presence. We will connect deeply — with ourselves, with one another as men walking a shared path, and with the unseen world. The process will weave the physical and the spiritual: the shaping of maple wood, the lacing of bison rawhide, the breathing of life into a drum that will carry your voice, your heartbeat, and your prayers into the world. Come join us. Step into the circle. Let the sound of your own creation carry you home.
Celebrating Samhain
Join us for our Annual Samhain gathering. Every year M.A.L.E.s Ireland hosts an event for Samhain – a time for men in our community as well as any man who wants to take part to connect and continue their journey of inner work.
Join us on the Journey
Men of all ages are very welcome. Our community is ever-growing and we encourage men who’ve never joined our events before to reach out.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the pricing?
EARLY BIRD OPTIONS: 10% DISCOUNT OFF ALL QUOTED OPTIONS IF BOOKING COMPLETES BEFORE OCTOBER 1st
There is an option to make a shamanic drum with buffalo skin, or a goatskin Irish bodhrán.
Ensuite: €380 shamanic or €260 bodhrán
Single room: €360 shamanic or €240 bodhrán
Twin room: €350 shamanic or €230 bodhrán
Camping: €320 shamanic or €200 bodhrán
There is an option to partake without making your own drum.
Ensuite: €200
Single: €180
Twin: €170
Camper: €150
When does Booking Close?
We put in the final order for shamanic drum materials on 13th October, so booking for that option must be in. For the bodhrán option, booking closes Sunday 9th November.
How Can I Get There?
Driving is the easiest way, and closer to the time there is opportunites for carpooling with other attendees. Trains from Dublin service the nearby town Portlaoise, and then buses can take you the rest of the way.
What are the Facilities on Site?
There are en suite single rooms, single bed rooms, or camping (depending on chosen option). There are 3 meals a day served. Allowances can be made for dietary requirements. The town of Castletown has a pub and a lovely river walk, and there will be time over the weekend to explore.
Why is it the Shamanic Tradition?
Men across M.A.L.E.s come from many different backgrounds and spiritual traditions - some have no beliefs at all. The inner work that is at the core of our community borrows from many traditions. Nobody is ever asked to believe something they don't - but we keep an open mind about other ways of being.
