Kinsale Men's Shed, Co Cork

Whatever about the fabled hundred thousand welcomes, Ireland is truly the land of a million stories. The Irish experience is defined by the stories we tell about who we are and where we’ve come from.

It’s no surprise then that the venerable Irish tradition of storytelling is alive and well in the men’s sheds movement. Sheds’ efforts are taking on an increasingly literary turn, with members swapping woodwork for word-smithing.

The latest to get in on the act is Kinsale Men’s Shed. Malcolm Hall has been in touch to inform us that A Shed full of Stories is now available in bookshops and other retail outlets in Kinsale, or can be ordered online via email at kinsalmensshed@gmail.com or Facebook (@kinsalemensshed), priced at €10 plus €2.50 postage and packaging (€5 outside Ireland).

A Shed Full of Stories book is priced at €10.

Malcolm describes the book as “a humorous, charming and often bittersweet collection of engaging short stories and poetry that offer an intriguing insight into the collective lives and viewpoints of the contributing members of Kinsale Men’s Shed”.

The book has been edited by best-selling writer and local resident Geffrey Kane, author of the supernatural thriller Recreant. Local historian John Thullier penned the foreword.

“All proceeds from the book will go towards the continued efforts of Kinsale Men’s Shed to improve the wellbeing of men, as well as serving the community,” Malcolm informs us.

“Kinsale Men’s Shed will, sometime next year, vacate its current home in Actons’ Warehouse in the Glen to move to alternative premises in the centre of Kinsale. The shed is seeking to raise considerable funds for refurbishing the new shed and furniture, fittings and equipment.”

Creativity is a famously infectious substance, and the shed has certainly caught the bug. In the new year, Kinsale Men’s Shed will be running a free course on creative writing (open to both men and women) and plans to publish a further anthology of poetry and prose, and a collection of then-and-now photographs.

Mullinahone Men's Shed, Co Tipperary

Not to be outdone, the similarly scenic Co Tipperary village of Mullinahone is getting in on the act. For many years, the Mullinahone Magazine was a mainstay of the village scene.

Published towards the end of each year, the almanac was every villagers’ guide to community life in this idyllic hamlet at the foot of Slivenamon. Unfortunately, the magazine fell by the wayside around the turn of the millennium.

Copies of Mullinahone Magazines past go for eyebrow-raising prices in Dublin’s depositories of rare and antiquarian books. Led by Christy Sheehan, Men’s Shed Mullinhahone decided to brush off the cobwebs and bring the magazine back into the 21st century.

After much hard work, and many long hours sourcing content and photographs, the finished product has finally come together – an enduring testament to the shed’s community spirit.

Just before Christmas, members of Mullinahone Men’s Shed visited the Irish Men’s Sheds Association’s offices in Ballymun, Dublin, to present staff with a copy of their magnum opus.

In turn, visitor Tony Nolan was presented with a copy of the IMSA’s Guidelines for Effective Engagement with Men’s Sheds booklet, produced under the Sheds for Life initiative and featuring Tony, and two of his octogenarian shed-mates, on the front cover.

Now 86-years-old, Tony has lived in Mullinahone his whole life. His father, Mick, was a member of the Tipperary Gaelic Football team targeted in the Bloody Sunday massacre of 1920. In Mullinahone, as elsewhere, the roots of men’s sheds run deep, offering plenty to write home about in the years ahead.