Embers to Icons: Charcoal Workshop

Hill of the O’Neill and Ranfurly House in Dungannon runs a charcoal drawing workshop, Embers to Icons, on Saturday, 17 October 2026, priced at £35 per person. The full-day session runs from 10am to 4pm and moves participants beyond basic sketching into the wider range of what charcoal as a medium can do.

What to Expect

The workshop description promises to move participants beyond basic sketching, exploring charcoal’s dramatic range and teaching how to balance deep shadows with luminous highlights across the medium’s full tonal scale. It runs at Hill of the O’Neill and Ranfurly House, a visitor centre and arts venue whose upper floors hold two exhibition spaces with art exhibitions that change every month, alongside a full year-round programme of workshops and classes for adults and children. The building’s permanent exhibition tells the story of the Flight of the Earls and the Plantation of Ulster, so a charcoal workshop visit can be combined with a look at that display in the same trip. At a full six hours, the session runs considerably longer than a typical evening class, giving participants a full day to work with the material rather than a brief introduction. Embers to Icons sits alongside other autumn workshops at the venue, including pottery and clay sessions and a talk on the Plantation of Ulster planned for the same October and November period. Booking is handled through the venue’s own ticketing system, and organisers note the session suits both newcomers to charcoal and those with some drawing experience who want to push the medium further.

Good to Know

• Date and time: Saturday, 17 October 2026, 10am to 4pm
• Venue: Hill of the O’Neill and Ranfurly House, 26 Market Square, Dungannon
• Price: £35 per person
• Format: full-day charcoal drawing workshop, six hours
• Part of the venue’s monthly-changing exhibition and workshop programme
• Contact: 028 8772 8600 or ranfurly@midulstercouncil.org

Getting There

Hill of the O’Neill and Ranfurly House sits at Market Square in Dungannon town centre, within walking distance of the town’s main shops and bus services, with parking available nearby. Dungannon is well connected by road, close to the A29 and within easy reach of Cookstown, Portadown and the wider Mid Ulster area. The venue is a short walk from Dungannon’s bus centre, making it an easy stop for visitors travelling from Belfast, Armagh or Omagh without a car.