Men's Sheds: no time for rest when there is work to be done

Men’s sheds are nothing if not resourceful. The range and breadth of projects sheds have undertaken in recent years is truly astounding, limited only by their imaginations.

The disruption caused by COVID-19 has forced us all to think smaller. But one shed bucking the trend has been Carrick-on-Shannon Men’s Shed of Co Leitrim. Like many of their contemporaries, the Carrick-on-Shannon shed was somewhat uncertain of its tenure at its current premises.

Just before lockdown, the shed received confirmation from its landlords that its tenure was secure for the next five years. The shed’s uncertain foothold on the premises had previously made its committee reluctant to sink funds into maintenance and upgrades.

With one obstacle cleared, another was to spring up menacingly; the arrival on our shores of COVID-19, and the attendant lockdown which brought down the shutters on Ireland’s sheds. Carrick-on-Shannon Men’s Shed, however, chose to use the lockdown as an opportunity to refurbish its premises.

After detailed remote planning among the committee, members returned in small, socially distanced groups as soon as Government guidance allowed. While keeping their distance, they set about conducting an extensive clean up and renovation of the premises.

“Most of our committee would be single men who live on their own,” says Declan Phelan of Carrick-on-Shannon Men’s Shed. “We got to work while observing social distancing and all the rules and guidelines,” he recalls.

The intrepid committee members soon made an exciting discovery; a hidden room lurking behind a partition, every adventurer’s dream. “The shed used to be a hostel,” Declan explains. “Where our toilet is would have been the bathroom, and there was still a full bath and shower in there, although they were in bad condition. We took them out and found a whole other half of the room behind a partition.”

We’re putting a Stanley stove in, repainting it and putting new floor covering and a couch into the room

As Declan explains, many of the shed’s members are purely social shedders, spending little time in the workshop and preferring to swap stories and cups of tea – the cornerstone of any shed. With plans to turn the newly discovered room into an office, the shed’s former office space was converted into a full sitting room, complete with homely hearth.

“We’re putting a Stanley stove in, repainting it and putting new floor covering and a couch into the room,” says Declan, the idea being to recreate that “home from home” atmosphere so typical of the men’s shed.

With further improvements planned for the kitchen, and all work carried out responsibly and in line with public health advice, Carrick-on-Shannon Men’s Shed is looking with hope to life after COVID.

“We hope to be finished in the next three weeks,” says Declan, who is looking forward with optimism and anticipation to the safe return of the full membership when circumstances finally allow.

It’s a hope shared by thousands of men’s sheds members throughout Ireland as they yearn for the familiar comforts of their homes from home.

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