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As a vital hub in the Irish railway network, Portarlington is familiar to thousands of Irish people who have never set foot in the town. Its evocative Irish name “Cúil an tSúdaire” rings out over the speakers of countless trains passing through to Galway, Dublin and Cork each year. Such a fine and historic location merits an active men’s shed. Thanks to the efforts of Mervyn Rochford and his colleagues, Portarlington Men’s Shed has become a veritable pillar of the community.
The shed’s latest project has woven numerous local strands together into a beguiling whole. Buddy Benches have long been a staple of men’s sheds integration into their local communities. These colourful and attractive pieces of outdoor furniture form the cornerstone of the Buddy Bench project, a companionship and anti-bullying programme with an increasing presence throughout the island.
By crafting, painting and installing Buddy Benches, sheds develop priceless relationships with local schools, setting an example of community and cross-generational leadership for children in their neighbourhoods.
Mervyn Rochford of Portarlington Men’s Shed explains the background to the project: “St Patrick’s National School for boys is one of our local schools. They kind of outgrew the old school building they were in and are moving to a new premises.”
School principal Pat Galvin was keen to have a Buddy Bench installed on the grounds of the new premises and asked the shed to get involved. Mervyn and his fellow members were delighted to oblige.
“It’s a brand-new, ultra-modern school and Buddy Benches are the in-thing at the moment, because they work,” says Mervyn. The shed was the spearpoint of a broad community effort which drew contributions from many local luminaries.
“A local architect and designer, Pamela Weldon, designed a template for us, and a local engineering company, Bespoke Precision Engineering of Fisherstown, supplied a stainless steel template which can be put to repeated use.
“It was so nice to have that level of community involvement,” says Mervyn, who also received a welcome surprise from his local Topline hardware store. “I went into Topline Fletcher’s and told them about the project. There and then they supplied us with all the paint, which was unexpected but very welcome. We painted it in a combination of the Laois and Offaly colours, because the school would have pupils from both counties.”
The shed, which has eight to 10 regular members and a host of occasional attendees, threw itself into the project with gusto. “Everyone helped out,” says Mervyn. “Whether it was cutting, planning, sanding or undercoating, everyone did something. When we put our minds to something in the shed, we all get involved.”
The shed is located in Portarlington’s picturesque old fire station, a location it first occupied around three years ago. “It’s an iconic building in the town, and we’re very lucky to have it. It’s wheelchair accessible too, everything’s on the one level, which is great, because we want to be inclusive for everyone.”
The grand opening of the new school, in which the shed is proud to have played its modest part, was scheduled for the Tuesday after the May bank holiday, with a certain colourful ceremony attached.
“The plan is for all the kids to turn up to the old premises as normal, and then to march the length of the town to the new building at 11am,” Mervyn told us before the event.
Mervyn can be reached at 086 736 0911 or meroc@btinernet by those who wish to join the shed and keep their community bright and harmonious.
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