Johnstown Bridge Men’s Shed

In Co Kildare, the roar of the drill and the whiff of fresh paint means a new member is about to be the added to the Men’s Sheds family. Johnstown Bridge Men’s Shed hopes to open its doors and its membership books by mid-March.

Potential shedders can find out more about Johnstown Bridge Men’s Shed by attending a fundraiser by local folk group The Druids at the Hamlet Court Hotel on Friday 24 February. Founder member Mervyn Walsh says the group behind the shed has harnessed the support and goodwill of the local community.

“Men’s Sheds are becoming an essential social resource for communities,” says Mervyn, who first became aware of the value of sheds through his involvement with local environmental projects, working with Kilcock and Clane Men’s Sheds to create barn owl and bat boxes.

Interestingly, Mervyn credits local women Helen Murphy and Irene Hurley of the BREDA centre with providing the inspiration for the new shed.

Letterkenny Men’s Shed

There’s a similar theme emerging in the northwest where members of Letterkenny Men’s Shed are passing on their expertise in woodwork, health and safety and other key areas to a group of 16 local women.

The women’s course, funded by the Donegal Education and Training Board, will run as a pilot from the middle of February – a prime example of a shed reaching out to its local community.

Dundalk Men’s Shed

A little further south, Dundalk Men’s Shed hosted a very successful cluster meeting for sheds in the Co Louth area. The focus was strongly on health and wellbeing and the IMSA’s Sheds for Life initiative, which aims to keep shedders fit, happy and healthy. Guest speakers Caoimhe McClafferty from Drinkaware and Finian Murray from the HSE passed on some highly valuable tips and advice on helping shedders make well-informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.

This was another great opportunity for sheds to get together with others in their locality and share knowledge, experience and inspiration. Catering was provided by a number of retired chefs belonging to Cooley Men’s Shed.. All concerned left with minds buzzing and stomachs full.

Boyle Men’s Shed

Sheds throughout the country take on an astonishing variety of projects, from dolls houses to buddy benches, but Boyle Men’s Shed has been working on a truly epic scale recently.

The Co Roscommon shed has been commemorating the various centenaries of the First World War with a series of dioramas – large-scale models – depicting battles in which members of the Connaught Rangers participated.

Each model has taken shedders Martin Connolly, Derek Winters and Colin Sparrow an average of four-and-a-half months to complete, with each soldier and feature handpainted individually.

What’s even more impressive is that none of the men had previous model-making experience and learnt their craft from scratch within the confines of Boyle Men’s Shed. It’s a labour of love that’s caught the eye of the Connaught Rangers Association, with the result that the battlefield models of Gallipoli, Ypres and the Somme are on display at the association’s HQ in the magnificent surroundings of King House, Boyle.

Dungarvan Men’s Shed

Finally for this week, Dungarvan Men’s Shed is calling out for new members in the west Waterford area to avail of the shed’s excellent facilities and friendly, supportive atmosphere. Siobhan Hubbard from Waterford Area Partnership recently visited the shed and has agreed to help spread the word. Dungarvan Men’s Shed is open 10am-1pm Monday-Friday, and can be reached on 087 185 6067. CL