Longford Town Men’s Shed was in the pipeline for two and a half years before eventually opening its doors in October 2016. “Martin Shannon and I had come up with the idea long before we set up. It took us a long time to find a premises,” says Enda Dooley, the current chair.

“We opened the shed as myself, and others just like me, felt we had a lot of free time on our hands, so we decided why not do something with it?

“We are heavily involved in the community and have undertaken jobs such as making flower beds, helping with the local memorial garden and restoring bins badly in need of a tidy up,”explains Enda.

“The lads have even helped out on the local golf club, not by playing golf but by restoring tee boards and other jobs that needed to be done. At least now we can golf in peace!” he laughs.

The shed has even been given the use of a section in a polytunnel, by a local youth organisation. Here the men sow flowers as well as various vegetables, which are grown and eaten by the members.

Going forward, the men hope to undertake more woodwork-based jobs, such as building bird and bat boxes, and maybe even benches for the local community. “We are very busy at the moment with other jobs, but going forward we hope to do more carpentry-based activities,” says Enda.

“The lads all get on great here. It’s lovely to come and chat once a week and talk about all things sport, politics and whatever is going on in our lives.

“All the lads in the shed are retired,and they all come from different backgrounds from teachers to carpenters and everything in between,” says Enda.

The shed is open every Tuesday from 10am to 12am and is located at the rear of the Post Office in, Main Street, Longford.

All new members and anyone interested in joining are asked to call Enda on 087 327 2672.