Men's Shed: embracing what Ireland has to offer

Kingdom Men’s Shed on tour

Amidst the turmoil of Brexit, men’s sheds continue to fly the flag for friendly cross-border relationships. Many of the projects featured on this page have emphasised men’s sheds’ unique genius for bridging cultural and geographical borders.

At the risk of labouring the point, the latest cross-border meeting of men and minds is worth noting. Funded under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Reconciliation Fund, the visit saw Kingdom Men’s Shed from Newry travel all the way to the Glen/Ballyvolane/Dublin Hill Men’s Shed in Cork.

The distance between the two sheds is almost 250 miles, so the northern tourists understandably opted for the leisurely, gentlemanly option of the train. Tom Cunningham of Kingdom Men’s Shed informs us that members were keen to visit Cork city’s famous English Market, while some of the group leapt aboard the hop-on, hop-off open-top bus tour.

Eager to take in as much of the county as possible, the shed members visited the Titanic Heritage Centre in Cóbh. Their visit coincided with the arrival in dock of the cruise liner Norwegian Spirit, with 3,000 passengers and 1,300 crew members. Surprisingly, many of the passengers appeared intrigued by the concept of men’s sheds, and the shed members (identified by their Kingdom Men’s Shed-branded fleeces) were quizzed by curious passers-by throughout the afternoon.

With the village of Kilkeel boasting a proud maritime tradition, shed members (many of whom are fishermen by trade) were fascinated to see the gigantic liner strike out for the horizons later in the afternoon.

The following day, members of Kingdom Men’s Shed were ferried to Glen/Ballyvolane/Dublin Hill Men’s Shed by a Garda Community Bus, courtesy of IMSA Shed Support Volunteer Noel Dunne.

Noel entertained the northern visitors with his jaunty prowess on the banjo. The Kingdom Men’s Shed members were also delighted to find that another member of the host shed is a former stalwart of the Regency Showband, who recalled performing at Curran’s Hall – then a local Kilkeel hotspot – in the 1960s.

The visit culminated in a raucous sing-song and rather more sedate lunch, before Kingdom Men’s Shed departed en masse for Co Down, bringing with them a treasure trove of priceless memories.

KC Men’s Shed Co Kerry

Word reaches us from Co Kerry of the sad passing of John Joe O’Brien, chair and founding member of KC Men’s Shed. John Joe was a beloved member of the shed and a constant and irrepressible advocate for his community. Everyone at the IMSA wishes to express their sympathy with John Joe’s family and fellow shed members.

Dungravan Men’s Sheds, Co Waterford

On Wednesday 16 October, members of Dungarvan Men’s Shed travelled to New Ross to attend the launch of an evaluation report on the shed itself. Entitled “Our Journey, Our Place”, the report was authored by community consultant Josephine Kielty, who spent a considerable amount of time on the ground in the shed.

Monaghan Men’s Sheds

Finally for this week, fervent congratulations are due to Monaghan Men’s Shed, who journeyed to Dundalk to represent their county at the regional finals of the Go For Life Games. It was a successful raid, as the shed returned home with the overall prize, a magnificent achievement.

The Go For Life Games are organised by Age & Opportunity with the assistance of county Sports Partnerships and the HSE. The games involved are bespoke, specially formulated pastimes such as malai, scidil and flisk, which are as fun to play as they are to say. Few would back against Monaghan winning the national crown next year.