A “cluster meeting” is the term applied to a local gathering of Men’s Sheds in a given county, brought together by the Irish Men’s Sheds Association (IMSA) in a single location. The IMSA has been undertaking a twice-yearly round of cluster meetings since 2016.

This year, IMSA staff have so far covered a total of over 10,000km, in the course of an epic trek stretching from Sligo town to Waterford city, from Clones to Killarney. They have been accompanied by a raft of the Association’s partner organisations, offering informative talks, health checks and other resources to Men’s Sheds members throughout the country. These partners have included Topline, the Irish Heart Foundation, See Change, the Irish Cancer Society, parkrun Ireland and several more.

National volunteer coordinator Eva Beirne has been struck by the range and diversity of the sheds’ activities: “It’s been incredibly rewarding to see the difference Men’s Sheds are making to their members and communities. Every shed that hosts a cluster meeting, and every member who attends has their own story.

“This year, we’ve introduced a fundraising section to the meetings, which is where we give sheds the chance to share their stories of how they actually fund their activities. I’ve been blown away by the ingenuity and enterprise they put into keeping their sheds strong and active.”

Attendances at the spring/summer round of cluster meetings have been up across the board, with feedback from shed members overwhelmingly positive. Irish Olympian David Gillick addressed the Dublin meeting, delivering a welcome and inspirational speech on the importance of combating social isolation and of Men’s Sheds’ role in that process.

Our thanks to all members who have attended these meetings to date, to all host sheds and to our partner organisations. CL

WALKING FOOTBALL

The tentative approach of summer certainly seems to have put a spring in our members’ steps, with reports of outdoor activities reaching us from all over the country.

In Dublin, Ballinteer Men’s Sheds were the guests of honour at Shamrock Rovers’ 3-0 victory over reigning League of Ireland champions Cork City in Tallaght. The link-up came about as a result of the Ballinteer shed’s regular walking football sessions at Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown Leisure, Meadowbrook (Tuesdays, 3.30pm to 4.30pm, free of charge), overseen by former St Pat’s, Shelbourne, Bray Wanderers and Dundalk star Thomas Morgan on behalf of the Football Association of Ireland.

Walking football is a non-contact form of the beautiful game, which men (and indeed women) of all ages can enjoy together, regardless of their degree of fitness and mobility. Not to be outdone, Bohemian FC – Shamrock Rovers’ arch cross-city rivals – will shortly be announcing a major Men’s Sheds walking football event to take place at Dalymount Park in Phibsborough, the historic home of Irish football. Watch this space for more.

Meanwhile, in Monaghan, the local Sports Partnership has teamed up with the Football Association of Ireland and the IMSA to organise another local walking football initiative.

Immediately after the Cavan/Monaghan Cluster Meeting, a group of 15 men repaired to Peace Link in Clones to get their kicks under the supervision of Dean McElory of Monaghan Sports Partnership.

Sheds that are interested in organising walking football in their own area are encouraged to get in contact with their local authority, sports partnership or senior football club to see what can be arranged.

The IMSA is currently working with a range of partners to roll this activity out nationwide.