Portadown Men’s Shed, Co Armagh
Men’s sheds are increasingly catching the eye of the great and the good around Ireland. While no-one joins a shed for the plaudits or the pat on the back, praise from on-high is a gratifying reward for years of selfless community endeavour.
Portadown Men’s Shed was recently favoured with a visit from Cllr Julie Flaherty, Lord Mayor of Armagh city, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council (better known as ABC Council, for the sake of merciful brevity).
Alan McDowell of Portadown Men’s Shed reports that the Lord Mayor, a councillor for the Ulster Unionist Party, endeared herself to one and all by forgoing all formalities, and insisting that she be addressed simply as Julie.
“She arrived in casual clothes for an informal bit of craic. The first item on the agenda was a cup of coffee and we were all made feel very at home by her down-to-Earth nature, warmth and friendliness.”
The visit was an act of reciprocal courtesy, after the shed constructed a wooden bird table for the Lord Mayor before Christmas.
“We all listened intently to Julie’s stories and the fantastic contribution she has made to the Borough throughout her year in office,” says Alan.
“It’s without doubt that she’s an incredible worker for the whole community.”
The visit was a frank and candid one, a fact appreciated by all members of the shed.
“We welcomed her openness and honesty in sharing some of her difficult experiences in life and we are inspired to continue to talk openly ourselves about our own issues, knowing that we will not be judged or criticised and there will be support and encouragement for each of us within the shed.”
As our shed is very much cross-community, we wanted to demonstrate to our politicians in the North that Portadown Men’s Shed supports people of all religions, colour, nationalities and backgrounds
Opportunities for the shed to contribute even more to its community were discussed, and the members were deeply appreciative of the Mayor taking 90 minutes from her busy schedule to visit their shed.
The visit was a highlight of a busy March for Portadown Men’s Shed, which has also thrown itself headlong into the North-South Connector Project funded under the auspices of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The shed visited its counterpart in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon. The visit resulted from a meeting of minds at the Men’s Sheds Gathering hosted in Newry in December 2018.
“We met Pat Towey and his team at the Men’s Sheds Gathering in Newry and forged some new friendships. We committed to take them up on their offer to visit Ballaghadeerren Men’s Shed on St Patrick’s weekend,” recalls Alan.
“As our shed is very much cross-community, we wanted to demonstrate to our politicians in the North that Portadown Men’s Shed supports people of all religions, colour, nationalities and backgrounds.”
The two-day visit incorporated homemade soup, rugby (televised, naturally), local history and an impromptu accordion session.
“It was a very special weekend with friendships formed that will most probably last a lifetime,” Alan asserts.
“All of us look forward to visiting again shortly as well as reciprocating Ballaghaderreen’s incredible hospitality; it’s a hard act to follow, but we’ll do our very best.”
Waterford shed members aboard the Passage East ferry during their Sheds for Life walk.
The expression “join the Navy and see the world” enticed thousands of Irish people into a life of seaborne adventure.
“Join the shed and see the world” may be a more recent coinage, but it certainly applies to the latest phase of Sheds for Life in Waterford.
Members recently embarked with the Waterford Sports Partnership, Get Ireland Walking and WIT, taking the Passage East ferry to Ballyhack, where they walked 4.8km across Arthurstown and back.
Read more
Connecting sheds all over the country
Shed of the week: Ballyshannon
Portadown Men’s Shed, Co Armagh
Men’s sheds are increasingly catching the eye of the great and the good around Ireland. While no-one joins a shed for the plaudits or the pat on the back, praise from on-high is a gratifying reward for years of selfless community endeavour.
Portadown Men’s Shed was recently favoured with a visit from Cllr Julie Flaherty, Lord Mayor of Armagh city, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council (better known as ABC Council, for the sake of merciful brevity).
Alan McDowell of Portadown Men’s Shed reports that the Lord Mayor, a councillor for the Ulster Unionist Party, endeared herself to one and all by forgoing all formalities, and insisting that she be addressed simply as Julie.
“She arrived in casual clothes for an informal bit of craic. The first item on the agenda was a cup of coffee and we were all made feel very at home by her down-to-Earth nature, warmth and friendliness.”
The visit was an act of reciprocal courtesy, after the shed constructed a wooden bird table for the Lord Mayor before Christmas.
“We all listened intently to Julie’s stories and the fantastic contribution she has made to the Borough throughout her year in office,” says Alan.
“It’s without doubt that she’s an incredible worker for the whole community.”
The visit was a frank and candid one, a fact appreciated by all members of the shed.
“We welcomed her openness and honesty in sharing some of her difficult experiences in life and we are inspired to continue to talk openly ourselves about our own issues, knowing that we will not be judged or criticised and there will be support and encouragement for each of us within the shed.”
As our shed is very much cross-community, we wanted to demonstrate to our politicians in the North that Portadown Men’s Shed supports people of all religions, colour, nationalities and backgrounds
Opportunities for the shed to contribute even more to its community were discussed, and the members were deeply appreciative of the Mayor taking 90 minutes from her busy schedule to visit their shed.
The visit was a highlight of a busy March for Portadown Men’s Shed, which has also thrown itself headlong into the North-South Connector Project funded under the auspices of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The shed visited its counterpart in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon. The visit resulted from a meeting of minds at the Men’s Sheds Gathering hosted in Newry in December 2018.
“We met Pat Towey and his team at the Men’s Sheds Gathering in Newry and forged some new friendships. We committed to take them up on their offer to visit Ballaghadeerren Men’s Shed on St Patrick’s weekend,” recalls Alan.
“As our shed is very much cross-community, we wanted to demonstrate to our politicians in the North that Portadown Men’s Shed supports people of all religions, colour, nationalities and backgrounds.”
The two-day visit incorporated homemade soup, rugby (televised, naturally), local history and an impromptu accordion session.
“It was a very special weekend with friendships formed that will most probably last a lifetime,” Alan asserts.
“All of us look forward to visiting again shortly as well as reciprocating Ballaghaderreen’s incredible hospitality; it’s a hard act to follow, but we’ll do our very best.”
Waterford shed members aboard the Passage East ferry during their Sheds for Life walk.
The expression “join the Navy and see the world” enticed thousands of Irish people into a life of seaborne adventure.
“Join the shed and see the world” may be a more recent coinage, but it certainly applies to the latest phase of Sheds for Life in Waterford.
Members recently embarked with the Waterford Sports Partnership, Get Ireland Walking and WIT, taking the Passage East ferry to Ballyhack, where they walked 4.8km across Arthurstown and back.
Read more
Connecting sheds all over the country
Shed of the week: Ballyshannon
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