For the second year in a row, the National Maritime Museum in Dun Laoghaire provided the magnificent venue for the Fishermen’s Friends Shed Series. The competition, which invited entries from Men’s Sheds throughout Ireland, reached its climax on 15 February as representatives from 25 sheds gathered in Dun Laoghaire to hear the results.

Sheds were challenged to produce works of art reflecting the sense of community at the heart of the Men’s Shed movement. The finalists delivered an astonishing array of interpretations on the theme, ranging from the abstract to the playful.

In the end, it was KC Men’s Shed from Castlemaine that scooped the top prize after its dartboard-themed entry wowed the judging panel of Mairead Lavery (Irish Country Living editor), Barry Sheridan (CEO, Irish Men’s Sheds Association), Martin Stimson (area business manager, Fisherman’s Friend) and Marcus Connaughton (presenter, Seascapes, RTÉ Radio 1).

Sheds series 2017 winners

Speaking after his shed claimed top prize at the 2017 Fisherman’s Friend Shed Series, KC Men’s Shed chair Martin Greenwood said: “We left at 5.30am this morning on the long journey up from Kerry. We’re a social shed, we don’t really make things, so the shed came up with the idea of a dartboard representing all the things we do in the community, like fundraising and volunteering.”

KC Men’s Sheds winning entry is entitled Flight of the Dart, and comprised a dartboard inlaid with images of the shed’s engagement with its local community. The shed, which boasts a 500-volume library, caters for men in the Inch, Keel, Castlemaine and Kiltallagh areas of Co Kerry. KC Shed has also produced a calendar featuring spectacular views of mid-Kerry as part of its fundraising efforts for 2017.

Compere Marcus Connaughton – also a member of the judging panel – added: “The judges were pretty unanimous in our decision because KC Men’s Shed used so many different elements to illustrate the work of the Men’s Shed group.”

Second prize

Second prize went to Life’s Toolbox by Letterkenny Men’s Shed: “Life’s Toolbox consisted of two beautifully worked pieces of timber,” said Marcus, “illustrating what’s central to the Men’s Shed idea – bringing men together throughout the community to share their skills and stories.”

Meanwhile, the coveted People’s Choice award, chosen via Facebook, went to Ballina Men’s Shed for its piece, Water and Turf. This was an elaborate collage themed around the beauty and bounty of the River Moy, featuring a fine piece of bog-oak, retrieved and cleaned by the shedders themselves. Water and Turf was a clear winner of the People’s Choice, garnering over 600 likes on Facebook.

Irish Men’s Sheds Association CEO Barry Sheridan noted that: “We always say it’s not competitive – it is a little bit competitive for the sheds – but the biggest part for us is sheds taking part, getting to meet one another and reflecting the importance of community to the movement.

“The added bonus is that a couple of the sheds will be lucky winners today, which means they’ll get really significant prizes from Fisherman’s Friend. We came up with the idea for the Shed Series in partnership with Fisherman’s Friend in 2016. It proved to be hugely successful for both sides. Our ethos is all about the sense of community and breaking down barriers of isolation, and that’s something our partners really understood and wanted to contribute to.”

Martin Stimson, area business manager of Fisherman’s Friend, was hugely impressed by the quality of the entries to this year’s competition.

“The standard was extremely high last year, but this year’s entries were even better. Some of the ideas behind the pieces were just outstanding.”

Evelyn McLoughlin, marketing manager for Fisherman’s Friend Ireland, added: “We see the partnership with the Irish Men’s Sheds Association as a perfect fit for us. Their ethos of community and friendship matches very nicely with the Fisherman’s Friend brand.”

Mairead Lavery, Irish Country Living editor, who helped judge the award, was delighted with the range of entries.

“We had sheds in there from the top of Donegal to the very south of Kerry and all places in-between. We were looking for entries that looked outwards from the shed towards the community – KC Men’s Shed absolutely grasped that.

“The Men’s Shed concept is such a community-based and person-based way of working. As the slogan says: ‘Shoulder to shoulder.’”

Special award for Cooley Men's Shed

Seascapes presenter and Shed Series judge Marcus Connaughton was so impressed with the nautically themed entry from Cooley Men’s Shed that he opted to give them a special judge’s prize for their efforts.