← All events
civic · Saturday 3 October 2026 · Various 
The Willow Bread Basket with Helena Golden, The Organic Centre
At The Organic Centre · Rossinver, Co. Leitrim, F91 H978
At The Organic Centre · Rossinver, Co. Leitrim, F91 H978
The Willow Bread Basket is a one-day course at The Organic Centre in Rossinver on Saturday 3 October 2026, taught by Helena Golden, who works under the name the Willow Woman. The fee is €130. Willow work has been part of the centre’s craft programme for years, and the format is the same as its other maker courses: you spend the day making one thing and go home with it finished.
A bread basket is a sensible first or second project in willow because the shape is shallow and forgiving while still requiring the base, the upsett and the border that every basket depends on. Willow is worked wet and stiffens as it dries, so the day involves a fair bit of hand strength and a fair bit of patience. The Organic Centre sits on a nineteen-acre site in north Leitrim and runs around fifty weekend courses a year across growing, food and traditional craft skills, with willow, wool and stone all represented in the autumn 2026 programme. Places are booked in advance and numbers are limited. Reduced rates are available for students and for people on income supports, arranged by contacting the centre directly.
The Organic Centre is signposted off the R281 near Rossinver in north Leitrim, on the road between Manorhamilton and Kinlough along the southern side of Lough Melvin. Manorhamilton is about 20 minutes away by car, Kinlough and Bundoran 20 to 25 minutes, Enniskillen roughly 45 minutes and Sligo town around 50 minutes. Free parking is available on site. Public transport into Rossinver is very limited, so participants drive or car share, and the approach is on narrow rural roads where extra time is worth allowing.
Heading to The Organic Centre in Rossinver? Leitrim has plenty more to see. Read the Rossinver area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.