In its three-year existence, Ballyshannon Men’s Shed has gone from strength to strength and is now one of the driving forces behind this northwest community. We spoke with founder and current chair Paddy Danagher to see what it’s all about.

“I saw it on Nationwide and thought ‘That would be a great thing to have in our town’,” he said.

After looking into the Men’s Shed concept Paddy called a meeting, to which 15 interested men showed up to. “We all agreed there and then that a Men’s Shed should be set up and once we got the ball rolling we never looked back.”

The group approached the manager of the Ballyshannon Economic Training Board, who were more than happy to accommodate the men and kindly gave them the use of an unused prefab. “We got to work straight away and soon converted the prefab into a workshop.”

It took us a while to build up tools and get fully kitted out but we got there. We’ve been lucky to receive a number of donations, some coming from expats living in America.”

The shed adopts a very much hands-on approach with woodwork being their forte. “We do a lot of designing and building of bird boxes, feeders and other outdoor tools such as wheelbarrows.

There’s nothing worse than boredom and the workshop is a great excuse to get out of the house and meet up, even if it’s only for a cup of tea and chat

“We also help out the local Regeneration Group in building flower pots or anything else they need.”

Their last project was an impressive donkey kart, which the men got to showcase at the St Patrick’s Day parade in Ballyshannon just last week.”

Paddy is proud that their shed is in a strong position. “Everyone really enjoys calling in. There’s nothing worse than boredom and the workshop is a great excuse to get out of the house and meet up, even if it’s only for a cup of tea and chat.”

With a base of 14 members, Paddy is hoping to expand this number in the future having seen an increase in interest in the area. Ballyshannon Men’s Shed opens Monday to Friday from morning until 2pm. For more information contact Paddy Danagher on 086 8724370.

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