IMSA cluster meetings

With well over 350 sheds spread the length and breadth of Ireland, keeping everyone informed, involved and in the loop is a serious undertaking. That’s why Irish Men’s Sheds Association CEO Barry Sheridan has embarked on another series of county-network cluster meetings – an epic roadtrip which will cover over 2,000km by the end of April.

The cluster meetings see sheds from a given county or region gather together to share experiences and expertise, while receiving updates from Barry and a variety of guest speakers.

IMSA health and wellbeing coordinator Edel Byrne is accompanying Barry on his whistle-stop tour, as she prepares to roll out the IMSA’s new men’s health initiative, Sheds for Life.

Barely halfway through their journey, Barry and Edel have already visited all four provinces in the company of speakers from organisations such as Seechange, the HSE and the National Screening Service. The Irish Heart Foundation have also brought their mobile health unit to a number of cluster meetings, offering free blood pressure and health checks to shedders on the day.

For Barry Sheridan, the cluster meetings are a crucial means of keeping in touch with the sheds.

“It’s absolutely vital that we see them and that they see us”, he says. “It’s a two-way communication and while the issues and challenges vary from county to county, the ethos of men helping men and serving their communities is always the same.”

The current round of cluster meetings draws to a close in Dungarvan at the end of April, by which time Barry and Edel will have visited 17 counties in just over eight weeks.

Rostrevor Men's Shed, Co Down

It’s not unusual for sheds to feel the call of the sea. Sallins Men’s Shed’s launch of the Lilyblue was recently featured on this page, while in February, Cooley Men’s Shed’s nautical entry to the Fisherman’s Friend contest made it onto the national airwaves via Radio 1’s Seascapes. In the northwest, Gweedore Men’s Shed are hard at work revamping a traditional currach.

But on the shores of Carlingford Lough, Rostrevor Men’s Shed have bigger fish – or, more accurately, aquatic mammals – to fry. The Co Down shed recently held a talk on whales in Irish waters, given by shedder Rasmus Sloth Pedersen, a marine biologist.

Rasmus is originally from Denmark, and Eamonn O’Connor of Rostrevor Men’s Shed says his background is fairly typical of the shed’s cosmopolitan clientele.

“We have guys from Denmark, Holland, New Zealand, France, Spain and Scotland,” says Eamonn. “I think the shed is attractive to them because a lot of them would be from countries that don’t have the same pub culture as Ireland.”

Diversity is a key feature of the Rostrevor shed, with a wide variety of age groups also represented.

“It’s not just retired men,” says Eamonn. “We’ve quite a few guys in their 20s and 30s too. The older guys have the experience and the younger ones have the enthusiasm and the energy.”

Moynalty Men's Shed, Co Meath

With all the grand projects undertaken by sheds, it can be easy to lose sight of the impact sheds have on their individual members. The following reaches us from John in Moynalty.

“In 2009, I had to retire due to health issues,” he begins. “I felt depressed, lost and unable to cope. I reluctantly joined Moynalty Men’s Shed.”

John is an accomplished photographer and found that his skill was valued by the group. “It gave me confidence, not just taking photos but also hearing their stories and understanding what one man said to me: ‘Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you deal with it.’”