Located on the grounds of the Youth Centre on St Vincent’s Street West, Inchicore Men’s Shed has been going strong since its establishment back in 2012. Irish Country Living spoke with Jimmy Hughes, one of the founding members who explained how it all began.

“The shed was set up in 2012 as part of an initiative by the Canal Community Partnership. They were keen to set up a Men’s Shed in the area and helped us out to get a workshop up and running.

“We are currently using a converted garage which is part of the Youth Centre here in Inchicore. Over the last few years we have received grants and donations which have helped us build up and stock our workshop.”

The shed acts as a family resource. There is great camaraderie and no one here is perfect

With 14 members, the men focus mainly on mechanics but have recently carried out repair works on some community facilities. The group are all different ages and come from different backgrounds. Jimmy lauds the positive impact the shed is having: “The shed acts as a family resource. There is great camaraderie and no one here is perfect.”

You will find Jimmy and the group working on a new project every Tuesday.

“We work a lot on restoring or fixing old engines, lawn mowers and bikes. Some of the locals will come to us with something they need fixed or refurbished and we are delighted to help in any way. We even fixed two mobility chairs for some elderly residents in the area.

“One thing everyone enjoys is the trips and days out we go on. We’d go along with the Ballyfermot Men’s Shed, which we have a close affiliation to. We’ve been to Newgrange, The National Stud, Wicklow Gaol and we also went down to the showcase event in Cork.”

Inchicore Men’s Shed opens every Tuesday morning from 10am to 12.30pm at the Youth Centre on St Vincent’s Street West. New members are always welcome and further information can be obtained by calling Jimmy on 0872493382.

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