Workshops & Gatherings

What’s the craic here?

We live in a world that makes it easy to drift apart — from our bodies, from each other, from strength, from the simple joy of being alive. The Rescape Project exists to turn that around. Not with rules, protocols, or prescriptions. With curiosity, play, and practice.

Movement, stillness, writing — these are the ways we come back to ourselves. To feel coherent in body, mind, and community. Strength here is not performance. Play is not frivolity. Writing is not homework. They’re tools to move, think, and become more alive.

Indoors or outdoors, studio, beach, or field, it’s all the same aim: to grow more alive and bring a bit of craic & coherence into your world.

The Three Pillars

Everything we do is guided by three pillars — the ways we cultivate coherence, strength, and the craic:

🌀 Physical Play & Practice
Movement that strengthens, mobilises, and awakens the body. From general physical preparedness to playful games, lifting, and traditional Irish practices, this pillar raises your physical capacity to move well and confidently in the world.

✍️ Writing
A way to reconnect with your thoughts, your imagination, and your body. Writing here is playful, reflective, and exploratory — a tool to discover your inner coherence and make sense of your experience.

💫 Stillness
Slowing down to give space to your attention, breathe, and regulate. Stillness is an active practice, a way to listen to your body and mind, harmonise biological rhythm, restore tone, and bring awareness into movement and life.

These pillars are always present in workshops, gatherings, and private coaching. You’ll see them represented throughout the calendar — guiding your path without prescribing it.

From winter into spring, we build physical capacity and personal coherence to enjoy the brighter months to their fullest — whether in your own life or together in our planned outdoor games and gatherings, culminating in the annual Lughnasa celebration on the Field of Games.

Work/playshops

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The Strength Spiral

The Strength Spiral explores how strength is organised through the body, rather than applied to it. We work with spiralling, weight-shifting, and rotation to develop cross-body coordination — the same patterns that underpin efficient running, throwing, lifting, and change of direction.

The session moves between unloaded movement and resisted work. Some of it is quiet and exploratory, tuning awareness and control. Some of it asks for deliberate effort. Together, they build a body that can generate force with more ease, clarity, and continuity.

This is strength training that improves how different parts of the body communicate with each other — not just how hard they work.

You’ll likely leave with a clearer sense of your back and hips, and a more integrated way of producing force that carries into sport, dance, lifting, swimming, fighting, or everyday movement.

From a physiological perspective, spiralling and cross-lateral movement organise the muscular slings that transfer force across the body. Training these patterns refines neuromuscular coordination, improves kinetic integration, and reduces energy leaks (injury potential) between segments. The result is strength that expresses more efficiently — less effort for more output

Date - Time - Location

Saturday 24th January

9 am to 10 am welcome with warm drinks (provided)

10 am to 12.30 pm Workshop

Lifefit Studio

Ballygarvan

Cork

€50.00

Writing with the Body is a hybrid practice of movement and reflection. We write with, to, and from the body as a way of reforming our relationship with writing, movement, and attention.

The session alternates between gentle movement and writing. Movement is used first — not as exercise, but as a way to rehydrate tissue, tend to joints, and harmonise neuromuscular tone. As physical tone shifts, so too does the tone and pace of thought. Writing then becomes a way to notice that change.

Between movement segments, simple writing games are introduced. These are not about producing good writing, but about observing how bodily state influences language, imagination, and clarity. Over time, this back-and-forth becomes a form of tuning.

You can think of the body here as a complex instrument. This workshop offers practical ways to self-tune — to find coherence, to synchronise rhythm across breath, heart, and thought, and to return to centre when things feel noisy or scattered.

Who it’s for:
Anyone curious about writing, movement, and self-understanding. No writing background required. Curiosity and a willingness to try are enough.

Date-Time-Location

Saturday January 31st

9 am to 10 am welcoming with a warm drink (provided)

10 am to 12 pm Workshop

Lifefit Studio

Ballygarvan

Cork

€50.00
Sold out
Lifting Fundamentals

Lifting Fundamentals looks at the simple question of how to lift heavy things, well. We focus on the core patterns that underpin most forms of strength work — squatting, hinging, carrying load — and how to organise the body so effort is shared rather than strained.

Rather than chasing numbers or techniques for their own sake, the session centres on principles. How you meet the ground. How force moves through you. How breath, bracing, posture, and timing influence force production and structural integrity.

These are explored in a way that lays the foundation to go beyond the gym, into the irregular realities of stones, logs, work, and daily life.

This is not about maximal lifting, yet. It’s about developing a reliable relationship with load — one that builds confidence, capacity, and durability over time.

We’ll explore:

  • Squat and hinge patterns as foundations

  • Organising the body to receive and move load

  • Training that supports joints rather than stresses them

  • Translating lifting principles beyond equipment

Who it’s for:
Anyone who wants to feel more capable around weight — beginners and experienced lifters alike. If you lift things in life, this is for you.

€50.00
Sold out

Spinal Stewardship & Scribbles is a workshop dedicated to restoring a trusting, workable relationship with the spine. We explore the back not as something fragile to be protected, but as something communicative, adaptable, and capable when tended to with care and understanding.

Through movement, we develop articulative comprehension — learning how the spine moves, bears load, and organises itself against gravity. Strength and mobility are approached together, building resilience without rigidity and confidence without bravado. The aim is not to “fix” the spine, but to help it feel safe enough to do its job.

Alongside the movement practice, there is time to write. These moments are used to note sensations, cues, metaphors, and understandings that speak to you personally. Over time, this becomes the beginnings of a personal user manual — a way of nourishing your relationship with your spine, and with the back of your body as a whole.

A key part of the work is learning to listen. The spine is always communicating. Discomfort is not always structural damage; it can be fatigue, strain, the absence of safety, or a drift away from bodily awareness. These distinctions are explored through practice and conversation, helping to replace fear with understanding.

This is a calm, attentive workshop — practical, reflective, and grounding — offering tools you can return to when your back asks for care.

Who it’s for:
Anyone living in a body with a spine — especially those who carry tension, uncertainty, or a long story with their back. No experience required.

Date - Time - Location

Saturday 21st February

9am to 10 am welcome warm drinks (provided)

10 am to 12.30 pm Workshop

Lifefit Studio

Ballygarvan

Cork

€50.00
Sold out
Handstand Strength Training

Handstand Strength Training is an exploration of upper-body strength, structure, and resilience. The handstand here is not treated as a party trick or a performance, but as a useful context for developing straight-arm strength, shoulder integrity, and whole-body organisation.

We work progressively, building the capacity of the wrists, elbows, shoulders, and connective tissue, while paying attention to how the body stacks and bears load against gravity. Some of the work happens inverted, some of it does not. The emphasis is on preparation, not attainment.

This is as much about learning how to support weight through the arms as it is about learning how to stay calm and organised while doing so. Whether a free handstand ever appears is secondary. What matters is developing strength that is durable, transferable, and well distributed.

We’ll explore:

  • Straight-arm strength and joint integrity

  • Shoulder organisation and load sharing

  • Preparing connective tissue for bearing weight

  • Calm, progressive exposure to inversion

Who it’s for:
Anyone curious about upper-body strength, balance, and confidence under load. No handstand experience required. The work meets you where you are.

Date - Time - Location

Saturday March 7th

9am to 10 am welcome warm drinks (provided)

10 am to 12.30 pm Workshop

Lifefit Studio

Ballygarvan

Cork

€50.00
Lifting Fundamentals March 28th

Lifting Fundamentals II continues the exploration of how to lift heavy things well, with an emphasis on adaptability, variation, and real-world application.

For those who attended the first workshop, this session deepens the work through modified grips, altered stances, and more complex lifting patterns. For those joining for the first time, the essential principles are introduced clearly and progressively, so no prior attendance is required.

The focus is not on lifting heavier for its own sake, but on lifting with greater understanding and versatility — staying organised when the load is awkward, asymmetrical, or unfamiliar. This is where strength becomes genuinely useful.

The practices explored here also act as preparation for working with natural loads such as rocks and logs, bridging the gap between gym-based lifting and the demands of the outdoors.

We’ll explore:

  • Foundational squat and hinge patterns

  • Modified grips and non-standard hand positions

  • Asymmetrical and irregular loading

  • Maintaining organisation as conditions change

  • Preparing the body for stones, logs, and real-world lifting

Who it’s for:
Anyone interested in developing a more capable and adaptable relationship with load — whether you’re building from the basics or progressing an existing practice.

Date - Time - Location

Saturday 28th March

9am to 10 pm Welcome warm drinks (provided)

10am to 12.30 pm Workshop

Lifefit Studio

Ballygarvan

Cork

€50.00

We’ll take a look at some physical heritage in play.

This morning is about getting out of the room and into the elements to sling stones and scuffle — to feel a bit of the physical culture that once lived easily on this island. With the sling, you’ll get the swing of casting — an act so old it lives in our myths. With scuffling, you’ll get to grips with Ireland’s wrestling roots: the Collar & Elbow style, once famous across the country.

We’ll start simply. Tennis balls come before stones. You’ll learn the basics of slinging technique and leave with a sling of your own. Alongside that, you’ll be introduced to the grips, rules, and principles that guided Irish wrestling before it nearly disappeared.

This isn’t about mastery. It’s about feel. Timing. Balance. Getting hands on, feet planted, and bodies moving together. The craic will come naturally — from shared effort, a bit of resistance, and the odd tumble.

Those old grips are alive again, popping up all over the island. We’ll put the Cork hand to the revival of both — slinging and scuffling — and see what happens when people gather to play.

Who it’s for:
Anyone who fancies a morning outside, learning old skills, having a grapple, throwing a few stones, and being part of something social and physical. No experience needed. Come ready to move, laugh, and get stuck in.

Date - Time - Location

Saturday April 11th

10 am to 12 pm

Secret East Cork Beach

(revealed by email close to the day)

€50.00

This session follows on from Slinging & Scuffling, taking the same spirit of play and shared effort and putting it to work.

We’ll spend time with the sling and progress to casting out to sea, and settling into the rhythm of it. Repetition does most of the teaching here. Alongside that, the lifting skills built throughout the year are brought onto the beach and applied to the stones we find.

There’s no perfect technique and no identical loads. Stones vary. Grips change. You work with what’s in front of you. Which is where the craic is. The aim is to lift well and get stronger with good company and salty air

This is a straightforward morning of moving, lifting, throwing, and being outdoors together, for fresh air, strength (in all its forms), and plenty of craic.

Who it’s for:
Anyone who enjoyed Slinging & Scuffling, anyone who’s been building strength and wants to use it, or anyone who fancies a solid morning on the beach.

Date- Time- Location

Saturday 25th April

10 am to 12.30 pm

Secret Cork Beach

(revealed by email close to the date)

€50.00
Poetry In Motion

A one-to-one journey through the poetry in motion process, with Robbie, tailored entirely to you. It’s for those who want privacy, a flexible pace, and focused support for specific goals and rehabilitation.

Includes:

  • Bi-weekly private calls (7–8 across the programme)

  • Personalised strength and movement guidance.

  • Writing guidance to support your process.

  • Hours of video material on movement, strength training, foundational athleticism, and inner rhythm regulation.

€1,280.00

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  • “For a comprehensive, easily digestible yet thought provoking and thoroughly engaging way of connecting with the body and your mind - in relation to movement, well-being & space - I’d highly recommend working with Robbie as your movement coach/practitioner. What I learned through questions that arose for me ‘how it moves, how I conceptualise myself & my movements in space relative to others, how I can continue a practice of staying connected to myself with curious exploration & within a boundary - yet still reach to achieve more - to know through a combination of sensory & scientific research and awareness - how best to grow and adapt well within myself, within a compassionate, supportive community & overtime’. Robbie is an expert at what he does with a fun-loving approach & attention to detail. A movement artist that will inspire you to become you’re most able and empowered self. Blessed to have attended classes and workshops with café move since 2016. 💪10/10"

    Carolann Goold

  • “I have been to a number of Robbie's workshops, but this one really stuck with me. The time to pause between movements, ponder and take notes (pencil and notebook provided, nice touch!) meant that I retained more than usual, which has been a real bonus. As in so many things in life, it can be tempting to cram in more into the time available. Instead, making space to make sense of how the movement practices felt left me with a deep sense of wellbeing, as well as movement sequences that I have incorporated into my regular practice. Thank you, Robbie!"

    Barbara Carr

  • “This workshop has changed how I see my body and its needs. Robbie has shown me that I have been conditioned to want to do more and feel more pain to feel like I'm exercising my body and that is just not true. The moves he showed us allows our body to tell its story of maybe that it is in flight or fight or functional freeze constantly and how to use those movements to reconnect to my body and put it into a genuine rest and digest and to keep the bodys elasticity intact. This has a further effect on my own practice of swimming and other sports. I know for sure that my body has been bending in due to years of being in a functional freeze state. Thanks to Robbies' calm and concise way of teaching and the fun games that we played to show it all in real time I can see it now. Thank you, Robbie!"

    Sally Walsh O’Reily

  • "Robbie's recent workshop 'Recoil' was something special. Firm and precise yet so gentle, focused and intentional , playful and play-filled. Robbie's thoughtful delivery of content was highly absorbable. He provided for and encouraged note-taking throughout the workshop. I found the space created, and the unravelling nature of the workshop to be very conducive to really settling into the body , flowing through all kinds of movements from grounding into the roots to getting air-time and everything in between. The sense of exploration was inviting and captivating. I so enjoyed being in a space of movers, my favourite moments being those where we moved in silence ; some music played , gusts of air to be heard, slides of the feet, the breath , footsteps on the wooden floor; a felt sense of togetherness."

    Grainne Tuohy