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Kilcock Men’s Shed, Co Kildare
As Michael O’Brien scanned the faces of his choir mates in Dublin’s historic Smock Alley Theatre, a thought occurred to him: “This is a spectacular jump from singing two lines of All God’s Creatures,” he chuckled.
Michael and his fellow members of Kilcock Men’s Shed were among the very first in Ireland to set up a shed choir. Since then, the choir has taken them to entirely unanticipated heights (and not just those tricky high Cs), under the stewardship of Emer Crehan.
Their latest venture is a cross-cultural exchange of breathtaking scope and magnitude. Abair/Samaa is a choral work commissioned by the nationwide Bealtaine festival. The piece is described as “an intercultural choral performance by musical director Eimear Crehan, singer-songwriter Farah Elle and theatre maker Rachel Bergin”.
With an ethereal musical style suffused with the swooping vocals of her homeland, Libyan-born Farah Elle is a rising star of the contemporary music scene. So far, so fantastic – but where does the shed come in?
The shed choir was identified as a potential partner on the piece by the Arts Council and Kildare County Council, reinforcing the work’s inter-generational and cross-cultural themes.
Six long weeks of rehearsal later, the shed choir took to the stage of Dublin’s Smock Alley Theatre for the first in a series of performances. Originally built as the Theatre Royal in 1660, the historic building later became the Church of St Michael and St Johns, before being reclaimed for its original purpose in the current decade.
Few performances over the centuries, however, can have matched the power of Abair/Samaa, a trilingual work performed in Arabic, English and Irish. Michael reports that the men were apprehensive but well-drilled and this debut performance was tumultuously received.
“I didn’t think we could do it at first,” Michael concedes with a sigh of relief. “But we proved that it could be done.”
He rejects suggestions that this ground-breaking performance fell outside the shed’s comfort zone.
“I wouldn’t say it does,” he declares emphatically. “We’ve released a CD, we’ve done so many choral and artistic projects that the lads are open to pretty much anything. This one was daunting, but we got it done and got it done well.”
So many people were asking did we ever think we’d do it? The simple answer is no
Rapturous crowds at both Smock Alley and the Moate Theatre in Naas stayed behind, abuzz with questions for the post-show Q&A session.
“So many people were asking did we ever think we’d do it? The simple answer is no,” Michael recalls with gentle self-deprecation. “But we did it and we got the satisfaction and achievement of taking on a challenge and everything running like clockwork.”
Post-show discussions revolved around issues such as emigration, inter-generational contacts and the work of the shed itself, which appeared to fascinate all those in attendance. Michael is confident about the shed’s artistic future.
“We’re not going to stop here,” he says stridently.
Only a fool would dare to doubt it.
Abair/Samaa (“Speak/Listen”) was commissioned by Age & Opportunity as part of the nationwide Bealtaine Festival and is supported by Kildare County Council and produced by Brokentalkers.
Carrigaline Men’s Shed, Co Cork
While sheds are intimately linked to their local communities, it’s easy to forget that shed memberships reflect its localities, with life stories and family backgrounds drawn from far and wide.
Thus, it was a particular thrill for Carrigaline Men’s Shed member Kevin Meaney to bring his shed mates on a guided tour of south Wexford, his childhood home.
Their recent trip was a timely reminder that each of us has more than one home – including the shed.
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