Ten years of friendship at Gorey Men’s Shed
THROUGH HIGHS AND LOWS OVER THE YEARS, THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT FOR THOSE THAT MAKE UP THE MEN’S SHED WRITES CATHY LEE
THE STORY of Gorey Men’s Shed is one of friendship, community, trust, support and fearlessness when it comes to hard work.
This is reflected in its motto: ‘This is Gorey Men’s Shed, where there are no strangers just friends. Some you may have met, others you are about to meet, all friends’.
Over the last ten years, the shed has gone through highs and lows, and welcomed members of all ages.
The current Covid-19 pandemic has presented an unprecedented challenge for the group but their hopes for the future remain high, particularly as they await Wexford County Council approval for the Ramsfort site on which they plan to build their new home.
As the group hits this significant 10-year milestone, former Chairman Donnacha Murphy explained that, even in the early days back the VEC building in 2009, having their own home was never far from the minds of Gorey Men’s Shed members.
‘It was the height of the financial crash. There was no employment so it left men with nothing to do, not knowing what was next and some had mental health issues. The idea of the men’s shed was the brainchild John Evoy. He brought the idea back from travels in Australia and he was the co-ordinator of the VTOS course in the Adult Education Centre in Gorey. Karen McCann also helped us set up the shed at that time.
‘We first met in September 2009 with about four or five participants, and it grew from there,’ he said.
Some men joined after taking up courses in adult education, the shed providing an outlet for craft projects, while others were happy to discover a space where men could come together and socialise in a positive way.
One of the first – and to this day, most memorable – projects was restoring a 1972 Honda 50 motorcycle and auctioning it for Gorey District Hospital and Gorey Girl Guides.
The men purchased the bike in Courtown at a cost of €100. They went about rebuilding the engine, dismantling, spray painting the bike, reassembling and replacing some of the parts.
Visitors came from far and wide to view the work and it gave the men a great sense of pride.
That pride never left then and lived on in other projects, such as creating the post box for Santa letters on Gorey’s Main Street last year; building garden furniture such as a hen coop and dog kennel; and providing children’s toys for the Gorey Market House festival as well as a model lighthouse that was short-listed for a prize.
The men have also enjoyed giving back to the community by stewarding parades at the summer festival and the St Patrick’s Day parade, as well as painting public benches.
The annual day trip saw the men take off to National Stud and the Japanese gardens in Kildare, and the men are grateful to the support of the Local Link in making the trips happen.
Mr Murphy said that being part of Gorey Men’s Shed is like a second family.
‘Over the years, a lot of people weren’t aware of what the shed actually was. I went to the shed because my friend wanted to go and didn’t want to go on his own. I thought it was just where old men hung out and drank tea, but it’s much more than that. It’s deeper than that and it’s open to all ages.
‘There are over 400 sheds in Ireland at the moment and in recent years, it has become like a dads’ army. One of the most important things is that some men who may not have had a sense of identity in the community, they find that in the sheds.
‘We have worked closely with other sheds, such as in Wexford. There’s a great sense of friendship and trust and it’s more like a family. It’s much more than just a shed – it’s a way of life,’ he said.
Being apart during Covid-19 presented as a challenge to the group.
‘It has been very difficult and I didn’t quite realise how close we were as a group and what the group actually meant until Covid came and we couldn’t meet. The day trips are something that we miss and Covid has had a huge impact on this.
‘But Covid helped to see how important the group is and redefine who we are. We are trying to work around Covid-19 but we’re aware that it’s going
I DIDN’T REALISE HOW CLOSE WE WERE AND WHAT THE GROUP ACTUALLY MEANT UNTIL COVID CAME AND WE COULDN’T MEET
to be there and we have to take account of it. The work with St Aidan’s will be ongoing for a few months but it has made us realise how important some of our older members are, who we haven’t seen now since March’.
But the thought of having their own home in the near future keeps the group positive for the future.
‘At the beginning of Gorey Men’s Shed, it was run from the school and we had young people who were on the FTOS scheme. After a year or so, the shed got the premises in the old leather factory and that was a great boost. It gave us more independence and the idea of the Gorey Men’s Shed started to grow. Around that time we had around 12 members, and some of those original members are still there but it grew to an average of 25 or 26 members which is what we have now.
‘Then when we were back in the school a couple of years ago again, we returned there when had no home, that’s when the real seed was planted because it was the first time we presented ourselves to the town council and they agreed to support us.
‘Even though we didn’t have a proper home, we were still functional. It’s not always easy working with men together, it can be difficult at times but we learn to overcome and enjoy.
‘Being in a premises that wasn’t fit for purpose was difficult, but part of our identity that we would have built up over the years kept us alive and recognised’.
Gorey Men’s Shed have a lot of people to thank for the past ten years, but also for what is to come.
‘When Robert Ireton got involved he gave us machinery and he encouraged projects like the garden beside the fire station, including the Honda 50 and the rocket launcher. Without Robert, the shed would not be in Gorey because he kept us going through thick and thin.
‘Through work from other councillors, Amanda Byrne and John Kelly, the shed was recognised by local businessman Jim Osbourne in 2015 who gave the premises in the Business Park, and then we were at the site at the Granite Lodge.
‘Since Michael Drea has come in, he has worked extremely hard for us and put the pieces together to achieve that site and we want to thank him. The grant that we got too was an amazing boost and we are looking forward to getting established in our new home. It’s going to take a lot of work. We’ve a strong steering committee at the moment and Councillor Diarmuid Devereux has been a key player’.
With no fear of hard work, Gorey Men’s Shed are ready to take on whatever challenge they face next.
‘This is our golden opportunity after ten years and we want to get this right. We will need a bit more money, but we have big plans as we want to build a shed to a standard of excellence that reflects what the shed is and the new image in Gorey. There’s no reason why we can’t, with the support from the community and the ongoing support from the council as well as work ourselves.
‘We are trying to gather whatever resources we have, the talent but also local input and help from whatever corporate companies who are willing to help us out’.
Finally, Mr Murphy described his proudest moment of Gorey Men’s Shed over the last ten years.
‘The first time we worked with the festival three years ago, that’s my proudest moment. The person organising the kid’s
day in the Town Park came to us about a week before with a big pile of junk and asked us to make something for the event. The way we were able to work together so quickly and creatively to pull it off, we worked non-stop from Thursday to Saturday making these outside toys and games.
‘Our core members, they keep the philosophy and the identity of the shed going. Every now and then new people come along so it’s a living group that’s changing constantly. I want to thank all of the men over the years, especially Tony Dunne and George Keating who were fundamental members who kept the shed alive in the early days’.
Anyone who would like to make a donation towards Gorey Men’s Shed’s new home, can by searching ‘Build Our Shed Together’ on www.gofundme.com.