This week we hear from Loretta Needham from the Croí na Gallimhe Men’s Shed located in Galway city centre. The shed is unique in that it has members who have previously experienced homelessness and other forms of social isolation.

The shed was established back in 2012 with the help from members of St Vincent de Paul, which is also based at the Croí na Gallimhe resource centre. The volunteers noticed mainly women were availing of the services at the centre and so concluded a Men’s Shed was necessary to create inclusiveness for everyone in the community. The Shed was originally set up by four people but now has 15 regularly attending members.

The shed is open every Thursday from 3pm-5pm, with the first hour dedicated to grabbing a cup of tea and having a chat, with the second hour used for other social activities. Men’s health workshops are regularly carried out with speakers from local mental health services coming to speak with the men. Other workshops in the past have included photography and Tai Chi exercising. The men have been on a trip to Collins Barracks at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin and they also recently visited the Cliffs of Moher. The group has exciting plans of visiting the Connemara National Park this summer.

“The Shed is composed of men of all ages and walks of life with more older than younger gentlemen availing of the facility. Some of our members have previously experienced a period of homelessness in their lives and we also have men from direct provision. By becoming members of our shed, the men are able to avoid social isolation through social interaction with others in the community,” Loretta told Irish Country Living.

The shed is located in the heart of Galway city at the Croí na Gallimhe Resource Centre, 1 Millstreet, Co Galway and is open every Thursday from 3-5pm. The shed always welcomes new members and anyone interested in joining is asked to contact Loretta Needham on 091 895 204.