Keady Men's Shed, Co Armagh

If the men’s sheds phenomenon has taught us anything, it’s that we should rejoice and luxuriate in the time we have. Many members have waited their entire lives to find a comfortable, safe environment such as the one provided by their local shed. In the men’s sheds, as in life, good things come to those who wait, and patience is seldom left unrewarded.

We hope that regular readers of this page will indulge us if we briefly return to a story we first featured back in spring. Way back in April, with the late winter snows still fresh in the memory and the scorching summer a fanciful hope, Eoin Moynihan of Granard Men’s Shed won the world’s first Men’s Shed Poetry Contest.

The contest was run in conjunction with Poetry Ireland, and second place went to 89-year-old Donald McKenna of Keady Men’s Shed. Donald’s witty and wry entry, laced with playfully barbed nostalgia, was entitled Living in the Past.

Donald McKenna (right) with fellow poetry contest winner Eoin Moynihan.

Contest judge Dermot Bolger was glowing in his praise: “[The poem] juxtaposed two worlds and different times so that after conjuring up the here-and-now companionship of the shed, it then deftly launches us back into a tour-de-force description of a vanished way of life.”

Eoin and Donald picked up their prizes at a ceremony hosted by Poetry Ireland at its Parnell Square offices. But so proud was Donald’s hometown of his achievement, that it recently decided to honour him with a full-blown civic reception.

Donald and his Keady shed-mates were invited to Armagh’s historic Palace, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, to accept their home town’s congratulations on Donald’s triumph.

The Lord Mayor herself, Cllr Julie Flaherty, was certainly standing by her fellow citizen, opining that Donald’s poem ought to have won the contest outright.

It was certainly an exceptionally strong entry and we congratulate Donald once again, and wish him as much luck and creativity into his 90s as he has enjoyed in his 80s.

Westport Men's Shed, Co Mayo

The route from Westport to Ghana is not an especially well-trodden one, but the Co Mayo town’s shed is embarking upon it nonetheless.

Shed member Billy Gallagher, a resident of Clare Island, has kindly donated a tractor for restoration by the shed in a forthcoming charitable endeavour.

Getting the tractor off the island was the first obstacle, the waves of Clew Bay offering notoriously little traction.

Once safely on the mainland (thanks to the good offices of O’Grady’s Clare Island Ferry Co), shed members Joe Gibbons and Martin Fahey brought the tractor back to Westport.

Once repaired, the tractor will be sent to Ghana, where it will serve three rural communities in dire need.

Westport Men’s Shed is actively seeking sponsorship to help get the tractor to Ghana, and would also welcome any donations of trailers, or other assistance with the project. Contact the IMSA on 01-8916150 if you’d like to help.

Arrayed for the raffle - Killucan Men's Shed's rocking horse.

Killucan Men's Shed, Co Westmeath

The picture above shows a lovingly crafted rocking horse brought into being by the members of the Killucan Area Men’s Shed. Rocking horses are a notoriously difficult proposition, requiring a huge expenditure of time, effort and technical skill.

We hope readers will agree that the fruits of the men’s efforts are rich and ripe.

This stunning piece of work will be raffled in September in aid of a local charity, and readers are invited to seek out further details by visiting the Killucan Area Men’s Shed’s Facebook page – see https://www.facebook.com/KillucanMensShed/