Men's Shed of the week: Abbeyfeale Men's Sheds

Abbeyfeale Men’s Shed was founded 10 years ago and is based in the Educational Centre in the town, which is run by Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board. The shed currently has 15 members and hosts a wide range of activities from carpentry workshops to first aid classes. The members are aged 50-plus and hail from a variety of backgrounds.

The members of the shed have constructed buddy benches, chairs and bird boxes and have carried out maintenance on the cemetery and the local Purt castle grounds.

Their shed also includes a social space with a pool table so members have a space to relax and chat, something which she chair Tom Enright believes is very important.

The shed has obtained grants and hope to install a new kitchen so they can partake in cookery classes over the winter months. Some members of the shed have assisted the local community in parking cars for different events in the area. They also steward an annual charity cycle.

On Tuesdays, a woodturning class takes place in the mornings, while over the winter, the Tuesday evenings are devoted to a ‘Men on the Move’ fitness class which takes place for an hour.

The members of the shed have also gone on various trips to the Ploughing Championships and a visit to Doolin, Co Clare to name but a few.

“We’ve been to other men’s sheds and we’re learning all the time,” Tom says.

The group are hoping to expand their workshop in the coming months, and Tom says they hope to get a few new members as a result of this.

The members hope to complete a training course on how to use a defibrillator in the future.

The shed is open from 6pm-9pm on Mondays and Wednesdays and anybody who is interested in joining the shed is asked to contact Tom Enright on 087 2440963 or call down to the shed during opening hours.